Forbidden
by Desert Bloom
Summary: With the disappearance of several key people, Hikaru is left wondering if old faces are making new appearances. ***8th Chapter Up!***
1. This Horrid Little Feeling

Authoresses Note: After just recently learning of Magic Knight Rayearth, and falling in love with the characters, I decided to take a short break from Gundam Wing and write this. So, please review, and tell me what you think. OH, and yeah, I've only read the manga. I've heard that there was a video series, and that there was an extra character to go along with that, but, unfortunately, I can't include that character, because I have no idea what they were like. Sorry. It takes place the very next day in the manga, when they've made a new country and all that. I hope my lack of knowledge about the video series does not, in any way, take away from anything else.  
  
  
  
  
  
What was it?  
  
A hidden something, a drift in the breeze, a sweet scent turned foul.  
  
What was it?  
  
Clef, slowly, lifted his head, in the direction of the heavens. The sudden wind that caressed his face drew back his hood partially, and ruffled his hair. The sweetness was there – some flower's aroma caught on the breeze, nothing more.  
  
What was it?  
  
He loved it here, here in the meadow that was so peaceful, so perfectly peaceful. Here he could catch these certain somethings, these wonderings.  
  
What was it?  
  
"Clef?"  
  
A hand on his shoulder then, softly pressing, only a brush of fingers over the cloth of his cloak. He turned to face this new person, his eyes almost sadly losing sight of the blue sky all around.  
  
"Presea."  
  
She nodded, taking a step back. Presea. Presea, who always smiled, Presea, who was so sweet and good. One of his best students, if he could characterize any of them so – he did not have favorites. He loved them all.  
  
Even Alcione, who was so blind to the world around her, so foolishly arrogant of her powers, even Alcione had had that goodness in her, that wondrous goodness. She wouldn't have had the abilities she did have, if she had not had that goodness at some point – but not strong enough, not strong enough, because it had been the very abilities that had corrupted her, the very offspring of her goodness lead to her desperate wrongs in the end.  
  
He moved forward to Presea, his staff moving through the ankle-high grass as he did so, his cloak and robes moving with him. "Good afternoon, Presea."  
  
She nodded again, that wonderful smile of hers still lighting up her face. "Good afternoon to you, as well, Clef. The picnic yesterday was great. I enjoyed it very much."  
  
He smiled, but let out a long, tired sigh. "The princesses from Chizeta were especially entertaining, with their dancing. I'm just glad they weren't influencing us negatively."  
  
He must have seemed very tired indeed, beyond the sigh, for her smile faltered, and worry came into her eyes. "Are you alright?"  
  
"Do I seem otherwise?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I have nothing against the princesses, if that was what it seemed like."  
  
He wanted the smile to come back. Damn his own selfish sullenness. He did not want to worry her so – he wanted her to live long, to laugh forever, and to be happy. He wanted it for all his students, but especially her.  
  
So he laughed, loud, and long, laughed despite that hidden something that he had felt on the breeze, laughed despite the familiar feeling he had now connected with the hidden thing. He laughed so that she would think it was nothing, even though it was everything indeed.  
  
She smiled. "Oh, I know. You aren't thinking of their particular capacity to harm – you're thinking of anyone's capacity. That evil can happen in the first place."  
  
Pause.  
  
"You're depressed because now anything could happen, aren't you? Anything at all."  
  
Pause.  
  
He moved forward again, until he was right beside her. But instead of looking at her, he instead chose to watch the horizon, blue with the sky, white with the clouds, and gold with the sun. His chosen position surprised her, but she said nothing, the slight widening of her eyes the only indicator of her discomfort.  
  
No, not discomfort. What?  
  
The question was almost as elusive as the hidden something, its secret betrayed only by the breeze.  
  
"Presea." His hand lightly touched her shoulder, but instead of merely brushing it and then moving off, it stayed. "I have lived for a long time. I have seen several pillars come and go – never before have the chosen Magic Knights been schoolgirls, nor have they ever been this…kind. Never before,"  
  
He turned to face her directly, to face her eye to eye.  
  
Eyes so pure, eyes as pure as her heart. Pure and good.  
  
He nodded slowly, "Never before has one of them become Pillar.  
  
"Before, I could always…by magic, or by intuition…I could always predict somehow what would happen. But I never saw Emeraude's downfall, I never foresaw Hikaru's rise. It is…humbling."  
  
She smiled, and took her hand in her own. "I don't really understand what you're talking about."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"No. But, I hope you will forget it, because I don't like seeing you so worried."  
  
"A simple philosophy."  
  
"A true one."  
  
"Presea…"  
  
Their banter stopped, as his naming of her struck a serious chord, for his tone was one of gentle disquiet.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
He nodded, slowly, sullenly so. But he could not stop the small smile that crept ever so slowly onto his face, the bright glint in his eyes as he eyed his amazing student.  
  
"You are going back to your shop. You won't say goodbye to the Knights?"  
  
A nod, to describe his correctness in that soft accusation. "I have to. I am expecting some customers. And someone might enter the study and disrupt it."  
  
At her own words, she broke into a nervous little chuckle. He drew back his hand, realizing that the lingering feel of her touch had delighted him in some small way. Small, but important.  
  
He was confused. "But, I, personally, designed the lock for your place. It is impossible for anyone to enter it besides me or yourself."  
  
"Oh, I know. I'm just being silly. Take care, Clef."  
  
They parted ways, each making their way through the green grass, disturbing it as the wind disturbed their hair. Clef's odd mental wandering of earlier was all but forgotten as he busied himself in something, he felt, in the presence of the suddenness of it, was even more odd.  
  
He loved all his students. He would die for them, for any of them.  
  
Why, then? Why, when he had touched her briefly, why had he felt that something more?  
  
Yes, he would die for any of his students.  
  
But for Presea, he would endure torture far beyond death.  
  
He made his way back to his little room, his study where he could see the entire scope of Cephiro through the windows. It was there that he reproached himself for so easily forgetting the questionable presence in the breeze earlier. He had known it was she; he had let his guard down with his false hope.  
  
Someone was sitting in his chair, their back to him while they faced the window.  
  
At first he dared to hope it was Ferio, or Lafarga, or some other disciple of his that he could recognize by some will of familiarity. But it wasn't, and he knew it by the fear that made itself known in the pit of his stomach; knew it before she got up and turned to face him, and the battle was on.  
  
  
  
  
  
He could still remember that night painfully well. Painfully, because, even though it had been one of the happiest occasions of his life, it had to end at some point – and that hurt. It hurt, because he did not know when it would happen again – did not know if it would ever happen again.  
  
'It's dark…' She had observed quietly, her words issued in a sigh.  
  
Ferio had looked down at her with the slightest air of surprise, stopping where he was on the concrete pathway. Garden was on either side of them, roses a darker red because of the twilight reflecting on them.  
  
'You do not like it?'  
  
She took her arm in his and leaned against his shoulder, blushing deeply. 'No…when I was a little girl, though, I was so convinced of monsters under my bed.' She giggled nervously.  
  
It occurred to him that she was uncomfortable. Wanting to put her at ease, he unwrapped her arm from his and slowly lifted that hand to his lips. Then, he massaged it, massaged the fingers with his own until he came to the one with the ring on it – seeing that, he kissed the golden loop. When that was done, he returned her hand to her side.  
  
She smiled, and reddened all the more. He did not know how he thought that would put her at ease. No matter, he had wanted to do it, and had done it, and now the content that lingered in his chest was a wonderful reward to the instinct he had acted upon.  
  
'Do you love me?'  
  
Such a silly question.  
  
'More than anything else in the world,' And, so saying, he leaned down to kiss her, and she stood on tiptoe in acceptance.  
  
It was brief. A couple more followed. He had never really kissed before, like this, at any rate, on the lips, besides when in training under Clef, and Presea had done it under the dare of Alcione. But then it had been quick, and neither of them had enjoyed it.  
  
This was different. So much so! He must have been doing it right, because she leaned into him, and, after a short time, wrapped her arms around him. It was wonderful, and he loved it, but began to get a sense of forbidden things, and stopped.  
  
'I will protect your honor.'  
  
They went to a bench nearby, and simply talked for a long time, talked of everything under the sun, or, rather, everything under the moon.  
  
'There were really monsters under your bed?'  
  
He tentatively placed an arm around her and drew her in for a hug. To his surprise, she laid her head on his lap, and yawned, obviously very tired. To her, the interaction was nothing more than finding a comfortable way to lie down – to him, it was wondrous, because it meant she was okay with being this close to him.  
  
'No. But when its dark, you think such things.'  
  
'Sometimes, my sister…'  
  
A little shiver, passing quickly through her body. To qualm it, he placed his hand on her back, almost as if trying to still the haunting memories.  
  
'Never mind.' He said.  
  
A silence existed between them for a moment. Eventually, however, it passed, like the wind through the trees.  
  
Fuu's voice had the same beauty of chimes laughing after being disrupted by a fair autumn breeze, he realized, as she spoke.  
  
'But, now I've realized that even the ugliest of beings can be decent. Ascot has taught me that.'  
  
'I have to say that if Umi hadn't helped Ascot with his problem, I would still have thought of them as dangerous.' He said.  
  
She closed her eyes. He loved how peaceful she looked, how serenely happy.  
  
'Ascot really cares for Umi, doesn't he?' She asked.  
  
'I wouldn't know.'  
  
'I think he does. But, Umi couldn't be more – unknowing – of it.'  
  
So happy, so caring, so lovely, with such a strong heart. He wanted to ask Mokona how it could be that she, of all people, wouldn't be strong enough to enter the path for Pillar. He was happy she couldn't, of course, because then he would never have her for himself, but, all the same, she was one of the strongest people he knew.  
  
'You would care about such things.'  
  
Soft laughter. 'Is it a fault?'  
  
'No.' He paused, turning his face to the black of the sky. 'Never.'  
  
He did not want that night to end, but, eventually, it had to.  
  
He could not stop it, of course, and so he found himself in the portal room. So, at last, the wind and the glow and all the aspects of that treacherous magic – treacherous because it brought him her and then took her away – and then it was done, and they were gone. All the visitors dispersed from the portal room, the princesses from the other countries and Zazu, Geo and basically all the foreigners included, but still he did not feel like leaving yet, so he sat himself in a chair and gazed sullenly at the floor.  
  
He closed his eyes after a time, and, sighing, leaned back in the chair. He could feel his earring clatter against the chair as his head lay back. If his eyes had been open, they would have taken in the ceiling, but, because he would rather dwell in his own darkness, he saw nothing but vision blinded.  
  
Footsteps. Familiar. Surprised, he opened his eyes, and, after searching the area of the room, at last settled on the one person he had forgotten about, the one person who had never left.  
  
"Lantis."  
  
Lantis nodded, taking a seat in another chair nearby. They knew each other, of course – the circumstances concerning their sibling's relationships could not have possibly been direr.  
  
Since Ferio said nothing, Lantis spoke instead. "My heart was not strong enough, but it all went right in the end."  
  
Ferio grinned, a slight one displaying the irony of Lantis' words. "I was not even a candidate. So much for any heritage I may have had."  
  
"They will be back soon."  
  
"The Knights, you mean?"  
  
A nod. A silent yes.  
  
Ferio continued speaking, enjoying the outlet for his own personal feelings. "Still, they will have to choose, sometime, some day. They can not live in two separate worlds."  
  
"You mean 'she', don't you?"  
  
It was hard finding anything more to say after that. Lantis had described it, had gotten right to the chase, and now, well, now, just forget it. After a time, Ferio said a polite goodbye, and gave himself leave to wander about the castle.  
  
Their bittersweet goodbye played back in his mind, a silent tribute to his sorrow – when would he see her again? Soon, he hoped, he so desperately hoped, soon.  
  
My sister, is this what it feels like to not be with the one you love?  
  
Everyone had been at the ceremonial goodbye, everyone spare Eagle, of course, for the man could not leave bed. Presea hadn't been there either, but she had some pressing weapons she had to make for a couple visitors to her shop. Clef hadn't been there either, but the wise magician had his own agenda. Ascot…he was probably off tending to his animals at the time, though it made Ferio wonder. Why hadn't he said goodbye to Umi?  
  
There had been much hugging and laughing and crying and well wishing, but none of it had compared to the kiss he and Fuu had shared – an amazed silence had descended upon everyone as they had kissed long on the lips, almost without any modesty or humbleness. Oh well, he did not care. Gardina and Lafarga had each other, here. The same with Lantis and Eagle…eventually Eagle would heal and wake, and then they would have each other to themselves.  
  
No, he only had the small stretches of time to be with her.  
  
He wasn't aware that he had wandered to Ascot's room until he was there. He must have, he realized, as he stood by the door, somehow secretly wished to talk to Ascot and explain how important it was that he explain his love to Umi while he could, before this elusive time ran out.  
  
Nodding to himself, he knocked once, twice, on the door. Ascot may not be here, he knew, he was probably out with his animals. But he might as well try.  
  
No answer. The door wasn't locked, either. Raising an eyebrow, Ferio quietly opened the door and peered in – instantly withdrawing in horror.  
  
The place was wrecked.  
  
Papers strewn all about, a chair overturned – complete disaster. The bed had been blown into bits, no more now than a few pieces of wood and the torn sheds of a blanket.  
  
And, as Ferio swung the door open wider to get a better view of the disruption, it fell loosely to the floor with a loud clatter. The hinges were off, he realized, blown apart by some energy blast.  
  
Damn.  
  
Was it happening again? They had worked so hard to find peace. And the idea of a traitor in the castle! He didn't want to suspect, but with all these foreigners…  
  
He didn't stop to investigate any further, knowing that any more waste of time could be disastrous. Setting off at a run, he went to the one person who was always able to prove wise counsel under circumstances of crisis: Clef.  
  
He was running so fast, and so blindly, panic filling his heart, that he never even noticed the tall form in front of him. He bounced off the person and to the floor.  
  
Lafarga let out a small laugh through his constantly stern façade, and provided a hand for the disgruntled Ferio that sat on the floor. "You should take better care," He said, smiling, as Ferio took his hand and got to his feet.  
  
Ferio shook his head quickly; a couple of rapid bobs back and forth in urgency.  
  
"Lafarga, Ascots gone."  
  
There must have been something especially pressing in his eyes, or in some wonder of his expression, because Lafarga's smile fell into a frown. "He might be out back with the animals."  
  
"No…we should have looked for him…his not being there with Umi…stupid!"  
  
Lafarga blinked, lost. "Umi? She left for the other world…the 'Earth' place."  
  
The man was of very pure strength, and with a very good heart. But really, he was so blind to almost everything else around him.  
  
"That's the point! He would have come to say goodbye…"  
  
"You are not making sense, Prince, if you pardon my bluntness."  
  
Ferio grabbed Lafarga's shoulders and brought him down so that they could see eye to eye. "Lafarga, Ascot's room is ransacked. Total destruction. There was a struggle there."  
  
Yes. Finally. A glint of understanding, a widening of the eyes. Lafarga drew back, and said, almost predictably, "Have you told Guru?"  
  
"I was on my way there now. I – "  
  
They both stopped talking, each gripping the other's shoulder, as footsteps sounded somewhere down the corridor. Each was in shock, of course – how could an attack happen in a place of absolute peace and order? – but their eyes widened all the more to see that it was Lantis coming towards them, Lantis just as upset as they were.  
  
"Lantis, what are you – ?"  
  
"Lantis, Ascot is gone!"  
  
"Clef has disappeared!"  
  
All three had spoken at once, and, thusly, all three was silenced at once, simultaneously. For a moment they just looked at each other, the words spoken just recently before haunting their mental processes of the moment.  
  
"Ascot is what?" Asked Lantis in the utmost disbelief, stopping where he was.  
  
"What did you do to Clef, you bastard?!"  
  
Letting go of Ferio, Lafarga took a step forward to Ferio, cruel anger and hatred vibrant in his face, his hands clenched.  
  
"I didn't do anything to him…I just discovered his study destroyed now…"  
  
"Yeah, right! Why should I believe you? You're a traitor, Lantis, always were, leaving Cephiro for Autozam without a second thought."  
  
Ferio shook his head, knowing this wouldn't help anything. They couldn't resort to fighting, now – was Clef really gone?  
  
Presea would be so sad.  
  
Two attacks within the last 24 hours. Ferio did not want to believe it was any of the foreigners, but all the same…no one in Cephiro would every do any such thing, would they?  
  
Clef, gone? Ferio had to fight down the instant instinct to run and ask Clef for counsel on Clef's disappearance. Clef had always been there, a teacher and mentor, the problem solver of the place.  
  
And Ascot had a good heart as well, not to forget that.  
  
"You always jump to conclusions, don't you, Lafarga. I told Clef you wouldn't be a good replacement as Captain of the Private Guard, but he was convinced there could be no other. Maybe his only mistake."  
  
"I dare you to say that again, and the next time anyone sees you it will be in your grave."  
  
"Both of you stop it!"  
  
Shocked out of their escalating furies, escalating to a height only matched by the other, the two warriors turned to look at the speaker.  
  
Prince Ferio sighed, and shook his head, his own hands clenching at his side.  
  
"It's near impossible for Lantis to have done anything. I've seen him almost the entire time the Magic Knights were here."  
  
A lie. A white one. Accusations and fighting would not help at a time like this. And Lantis would not attack Clef – Lantis loved Clef in the same way that Ferio did, as a teacher, as a father figure.  
  
"Look, two attacks have now taken place. As Prince, I command no further arguing – we have to sort this out. Lafarga, search the premises for any sign of any other attack, or even if we can find Clef or Ascot. Lantis, I want you to go to Presea's shop."  
  
"Presea…?"  
  
"We'll need her. Hurry!"  
  
The two were dismissed, and sent on their own way, which they did without any further disagreement. This left Ferio alone in the corridor, alone to ponder the course of action that was forming in his mind, becoming more and more radical and nonsensical as time passed.  
  
He would not allow anything to stop the peace.  
  
This I promise you, my darling sister. So that your legacy is never forgotten, this I promise you. Be happy! With Zagato, forevermore. 


	2. Sitting Blind And Running Blind - Is The...

Authoresses Note: Because I got some pretty good reviews, I decided to continue this. Hats off to everyone that reviewed! It's always cool to have an audience. I should warn though, that I'm an advocate for the LantisxEagle romance, so there will be some yaoi later on. That's all, I guess. Thanks for checking it out! ^_^  
  
  
  
***Part Two of Forbidden: Sitting Blind And Running Blind - Is There A Difference? ***  
  
  
  
Where was he?  
  
Ascot groaned, his eyes slowly blinking several times before opening to full alertness. But even if they were fully alert, it made no difference - all around was black, forbidding black, forbidding black that drowned any sight of his surroundings, so that he was left with absolutely no clue as to his whereabouts.  
  
Where was he, though? The last thing he could remember was that he had been arguing with himself, wondering if he should or should not see Umi leave, and he was leaning towards not going, because it hurt to be reminded of her obliviousness.  
  
No. Wait. He could remember more, now.  
  
He had been in his room, and then he had suddenly felt something - he wasn't sure what, or how, by will of intuition or some form of magic he had yet to master - but he had felt something, and then, before he had been able to process it, there was fire coming out of nowhere, blasting the door down, and he was down on his knees next, too weak to defend himself against her towering form.  
  
Alcione.  
  
But how? Zagato killed her.  
  
I watched him kill her.  
  
I watched him kill her and I laughed, I was so cold back then.  
  
As he lay there in the dark, wherever he was, he was suddenly aware of a shooting pain racing through his side, and then a groan issued through his mouth in consequence of that pain. His entire left side, he realized, felt numb and horrid, and.wet.  
  
Blood.  
  
With this new realization, he decided to try and see if it was true, if he was really coated with blood on his left side. Hesitatingly, he sent his right hand to feel and probe the supposed wound. But, as he tried to move his hand, he was unfortunately aware of a new thing, a metal band around his wrist, which, when he tried to move it too far, stopped suddenly by some will of a chain connecting it to the wall.  
  
Well, now. He was in a dark room and he was tied to the wall.  
  
Yay.  
  
If only he had one of his animals here. But he felt too tired to summon them, and besides, he didn't want to be rash. What if one of his animals ended up getting hurt because of his rashness? It had happened before.  
  
Suddenly, there was a click and the sound of muffled voices from somewhere to his far left, and then a grinding sound as a door in that direction slid open. A single slip of light shone out onto the gray floor, instigating the assumption that there was light somewhere in this.in this building? He had no idea where he was, naturally, so he could only guess it was a building. What else could it be?  
  
His wandering mental thoughts were cut short, however, as a familiar form was pushed in, right into the light, so that the golden glow that framed this newcomer properly relayed to Ascot how dire the situation at hand was.  
  
He had not been the only person forcibly taken from the castle.  
  
"Clef."  
  
Ascot more breathed the words than spoke them; his surprise was so total and so utterly complete.  
  
The guru had been solemnly regarding the patch of lit ground, but at Ascot's words he looked up, his eyes widening. Ascot felt his breath catch in his throat - Clef, the leader Clef, was just as confused as he was, just as bewildered to see Ascot, as Ascot was bewildered to see Clef.  
  
Clef, on his knees, and holding his one cloaked shoulder, was the ultimate vision of shot-down leadership. Ascot had never seen that before, and did not ever want to see it again, for that matter.  
  
Glancing quickly at Ascot, Clef's gaze lingered long on the questionable wet side that Ascot had been pondering just moment's before.  
  
"You're hurt, Ascot."  
  
Ascot could have almost predicted his words. Clef's immediate instinct was too worry about others. "So are you." Ascot returned, nodding towards Clef's shoulder. "Where are we, Clef?"  
  
Clef didn't seem to hear Ascot's response. "Were you attacked by her, too?"  
  
Ascot paused, surprised at the question.  
  
But of course. If he was attacked by Alcione, and had been brought here, and then here was also Clef, what else could have happened? It didn't take a genius to figure it out, just a shy awkward monster summoner who had all the strength in physical battle, but none when it came to saying three words to a pretty girl with a thing for fiery kindness.  
  
"Yes." Ascot finally admitted reluctantly, gazing at his lap, only knowing it was his lap really because of the light coming in from wherever Clef had been pushed in from. Otherwise he could have been looking at his foot, for all he knew, it being so dark and all. He looked back up at the guru, but unfortunately could no longer see him because the door had closed and the light had gone, to be replaced by the desperate black. "She's alive then, I guess - do you know if she's attacked anyone else?"  
  
A better translation of that last question would be: Do you know if she's attacked Umi?  
  
"I felt the Magic Knight's presence gone before I was attacked. They made it back to the Earth place, so chances are that we're the only people being held."  
  
"Hostage?" Ascot finished for him.  
  
"I don't know if that's the word. I don't know if she wants us for any sort of ransom."  
  
"This makes no sense."  
  
Clef did not question Ascot's comment, even though Ascot could have meant several things by speaking up so. Clef chose to continue on in his spoken ponderings. "Revenge, perhaps. Alcione has become.very angry. I never meant for her heart to suffer. I want all my student's to be happy.though you can't get everything you want in life, of course."  
  
Ascot paused. He had not wanted to mention it, but now that the guru was here, his magic's intuition was telling him about some other power, and it wasn't Alcione's.  
  
It was so forbidding, somehow both welcoming, saying, Look at me, I'm powerful, and you're not! And then again, there was another form to it, saying, Leave me alone, give me privacy.  
  
A smell in the air, an unidentified presence, a waver in the big picture.he couldn't place the feeling.  
  
"Do you feel that?" Ascot finally asked, finishing the pause.  
  
Guru nodded, although Ascot could not see it in the dark. "It's not Alcione. I can't say what it is."  
  
"We should just find out where we are, first, before we wonder about intuitional magic." Ascot agreed.  
  
To his surprise, Clef didn't seem so sure. "But."  
  
"But?"  
  
"Hikaru was telling me about religion." Guru Clef began, his voice wavering a little over Hikaru's name, signifying his strong bonds with the loveable new Pillar. "After hearing her out, I thought it was just a clever coping technique used to deal with people's general confusion regarding life."  
  
Ascot nodded solemnly. "I remember Umi saying something about it. There are many different forms, but they all include worship of an all- powerful.."  
  
"Entity's the word, I think."  
  
Ascot nodded, and Clef had to feel, more than see, the interaction.  
  
Clef continued. "There was a very common theme to it, though. In almost every religion, there was a right, and a wrong, a good and an evil. The right usually had it's own.Pillar, I suppose, though they called it a 'God'. The wrong also had a 'God', though, and the two were constantly warring."  
  
"War." The word felt bitter in Ascot's mouth, venomous even.  
  
"This forbidden feeling of power.I've felt it before.just less so. But now it's stronger, which is odd, that it's stronger once I've been attacked."  
  
"Mokona is the absolute ruler." Ascot commented, as if that cleared things up.  
  
Yes, Mokona was the absolute ruler. There couldn't be a good all-powerful entity and there couldn't be a bad all-powerful entity if Mokona was around, because Mokona simply was the -purpose-, the defining meaning of everyone's existence. And as Ascot thought those words, he couldn't help but wonder what the heck he himself was thinking - it sounded so truthful and poetic, but in the presence of these new events it seemed more like a gamble, a faithful assumption.  
  
Clef paused before speaking.  
  
"Maybe Mokona was the absolute right."  
  
".You think there's an absolute wrong."  
  
They both fell silent, neither really ready to speak again.  
  
After a long pause Clef tiredly pushed himself up from his position on the floor, noticeably without any bonds. The sorcerer merely waved his hand and Ascot was free, so that the monster summoner, getting to his feet and although enjoying the sudden freedom in which he could stretch and relax his aching muscles, was left only to wonder one thing: Who's stupid enough to not tie Clef up?  
  
Clef sent Ascot a sideways glance as he waved a hand again, causing a sudden burst of fire in the palm of that hand. The room lit up instantly, presenting to Ascot what could be considered a normal dungeon layout, complete with the chains lying idly in one corner and the mouse family hiding behind it. "Either someone is very dumb, or we're heading into a trap." The wise sorcerer said, vocalizing his agreement with Ascot's befuddled stare. Then he sent the ball of fire at the door, sending it down with a loud crash.  
  
"I don't care if it's a trap. It seems we're already in a trap, anyways, and maybe a new one might brighten circumstances a little."  
  
Clef's worried expression gave way to a little smile at his younger friend's sarcastic joke.  
  
Then they left.  
  
And despite his earlier words, Ascot couldn't help wondering if running blind was worse than sitting blind.  
  
  
  
"Clef cares about everyone."  
  
Lantis blinked, a little surprised at Presea's first words. After going to her place in the forest and relaying the troubling news to her, the talented artisan had suddenly become uncharacteristically quiet, merely nodding to anything Lantis had to say concerning the matter. And now, as both of them sat on one of the faster stable horses, galloping across the meadows in such a rush that all seemed to be blurred blue sky and blurred green grass, Lantis guiding the horse as Presea hung around his waist for basically her life - well, it seemed an odd moment for her to suddenly speak up.  
  
He continued to stare at the path ahead of them, not looking back at her. "I know."  
  
"Of course you know. It's his one special talent, his caring. He's better at caring than he is at magic, sometimes."  
  
Lantis nodded.  
  
"He's so damn good at it that he sometimes forgets himself. He's always so caught up in everyone's need for happiness that he never thinks of himself - god, sometimes I don't know why he's never been a candidate for Pillar. I mean, I know he doesn't want to, so that's probably it, but if he ever did want to.."  
  
"I'm sure he's fine."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
A pause.  
  
An unbecoming and uncharacteristic cynical bitterness lay hidden in her voice momentarily. "He's the big strong sorcerer leader. He's always fine."  
  
They rode a little farther. Lantis didn't speak, and neither did Presea.  
  
"It's just awfully hard to be fine all the time, that's all." She finally said, with a sigh into Lantis' back. "I bet it hurts to be fine all the time."  
  
"The sky."  
  
Presea blinked. "What?"  
  
Lantis slowed the horse to a final stop, so that the blurred quality to the surroundings softly faded away into brilliance once again - the brilliantly green color of the grass, and then the brilliantly brown color of the path, finally ending with the brilliantly black color of the sky.  
  
"It's not night already, is it?" Presea questioned, blinking several times as if that would clear away some vision problem she had.  
  
Lantis' sturdy voice portrayed the first knowledge of worry. "Possibly. But I doubt it."  
  
And as his one sullen friend regarded the sky up above, the sleeping Eagle awoke with a jolt. At first his uppermost surroundings seemed black to him as well, but slowly they blurred into nothing more than the gray ceiling, and it was proven that the immediate feeling of black was nothing more than the haziness to be expected after such a long slumber - but, as he noted to himself, there was still something very wrong.  
  
  
  
When the Magic Knights returned, there was at first no sign that anything had gone awry. They were greeted by a smiling Ferio, who very quickly swallowed Fuu in a great big hug, and by Lafarga, not quite smiling, but then again he never really smiled, so there was nothing to be concerned about.  
  
Then Umi asked the question. They were still in the portal room at the time, and had just finished their proper round of 'Hellos' and shaking of hands and such.  
  
"Hey, where's Ascot at?"  
  
Both Ferio and Lafarga went a strange unusual shade of pale. It was Ferio that spoke, his one arm around Fuu's shoulder, hugging her against his side.  
  
"We don't know."  
  
Umi blinked. "Oh, he's out back with the animals, isn't he? That's where he always is."  
  
Ferio shook his head.  
  
"Did he go somewhere? On like a little traveling adventure or something?"  
  
Ferio shook his head.  
  
Umi was getting a little worried now, Ferio and Lafarga's silent façade of sullenness really beginning to irk her. "Well then, where is he?" She demanded, her eyes flashing and her hands on her hips.  
  
Hikaru burst in, smiling as usual. "I bet there's nothing to worry about, Umi. He's probably just disappeared for a bit, and he'll be back by nightfall.  
  
Fuu glanced towards the one window in the room. "I think it's already night."  
  
"What do you mean, night?" Umi said hotly, now at the pinnacle of her annoyance and not about to get down anytime soon. "It shouldn't be night. We always get here in the middle of the day, same time."  
  
Fuu smiled. "Yeah, but it's dark outside."  
  
They all went to the window to see if it was true. Indeed it was, dark forbidding night stretched across the horizon, no stars or anything else in the sky besides the lavender dusting of a couple of the more brilliant clouds.  
  
And as they watched, each one mumbling their misunderstanding and confusion regarding the odd timing for it go dark, Umi slowly turned on the spot to look towards the sadly contemplating Ferio, who had let go of Fuu as she went to Hikaru's side, the two friends talking cheerfully together.  
  
Her blue eyes seemed to hold an unequalled sadness as she questioned him, her fury now subdued by her worry. "Ferio, where's Ascot?"  
  
Ferio sent a glance towards the strangely darkened setting outside. The window, besides having an outlook to the dark sky, also looked down upon the same garden that he and Fuu had walked in a couple nights ago. The roses, he noted, were a darker red with the lessened amount of light that became them.  
  
Still watching the roses rustling somewhat in the breeze, he spoke again. As he spoke, Fuu looked toward him, her heart aching for the not-so obvious stress that lay within the confines of his body. Not so obvious to many, but screaming obvious to her.  
  
"His room was ransacked, Umi, completely destroyed. Chances are that he was taken by someone."  
  
To everyone's surprise, as they turned to watch Umi's reaction to this, she merely nodded.  
  
In soft tones, she questioned, "Does Clef know about this?"  
  
Lafarga stepped forward. "That's the other thing, Lady Umi."  
  
  
  
Umi couldn't believe it.  
  
What was it about him? He was just so sweet, a bleeding heart in a sense, caring for brutes when most others wouldn't bother. It portrayed a sophistication that most of the other boys that she knew could never have. And yet there was also this simplicity to him - not that he was simple - but rather just this thing about him that was a little slow at times. He seemed to get an awful tongue-tied, anyhow.  
  
Unbeknownst to her, of course, his tongue-tied ways only existed around her.  
  
And now he was gone. Gone to harm's way.  
  
She sat in the room that was designated for her stay at the castle, quietly studying the cloth patterns sewed into the quilt that lay gently on her bed, her one finger trailing the seams. So was she lost in thought that she barely noted the arrival of her two other companions, as Hikaru appeared at her one shoulder and Fuu at the other.  
  
"You okay?" Hikaru asked, leaning on her one shoulder.  
  
"You don't seem very well." Noted Fuu, leaning on the other shoulder.  
  
"I'm fine." Maintained Umi.  
  
Fuu shook her head, quietly putting a hand on Umi's forehead. "You don't seem okay."  
  
Umi very politely batted away Fuu's hand, dropping back onto the pillow, her gaze turning towards the ceiling. "I'm just worried, that's all. I mean, what's this crap that's going on? I thought that Cephiro was supposed to be perfect now and everything. Not with important people being kidnapped and everything."  
  
Fuu blinked quizzically. "Technically," She said, but said it very sweetly, "Ascot wasn't all that important."  
  
"He was to me!"  
  
Fuu merely smiled at Umi's reddening face. She opened her mouth to say something, but stopped, noting that Hikaru had turned strangely quiet besides her. Indeed, the Pillar, the single most important person in this whole mess, seemed to have been overlooked. Hikaru's gaze was somberly on the covers of the bed, a tearstain marking the distance from the bed to her eye.  
  
"What's wrong?" Asked both Fuu and Umi simultaneously.  
  
Her voice quivered somewhat as she spoke. "I didn't want anyone to worry, so I kept quiet."  
  
Fuu and Umi exchanged glances. Finally Umi ventured, "Quiet about what?"  
  
"I felt some things.this sadness.right before we left the last time. It was small, and I didn't think much of it, but I should have - I should have known. And when we came back today, it almost threw me over, the sensation was so strong - like something was mentally battling me for control of my wishes."  
  
Before any one else could touch upon the matter, however, they were alerted to a sudden loud sound as the door opened. Within an instant all three had their weapons out, but it proved a useless mechanism - it was Eagle, stumbling into the room before finally falling to a faint on the floor. 


	3. His Staff As Golden As The Sun

Authoresses Note:  
  
Eeyuck. I'm a severe insomniac, which is why I'm even getting this other chapter up as quick as I am. It's three in the morning and there isn't that much else I can do. Oh well, I hope my heavy lids and tired mind doesn't detract from the quality whatsoever. Thanks so much to all the great people that have been reviewing this fic! As usual, please review if you like (if you don't then don't, it's that simple, please don't feel like you have to give me false hope or anything), don't flame, yadda yadda, and, oh yeah, I'm gonna put up a couple's list so people that don't like my couples can just go away first before being disgusted with my ficcy (j/k I really love all the Rayearth couples). They pretty much go in order of importance, the most important going first and so on. Here it is:  
  
ClefxPresea, FerioxFuu, AscotxUmi, LantisxEagle, LafargaxGardina, ZazuxHikaru (maybe a lil later I'll institute this couple)  
  
*Instead of God knows where, sorry, I couldn't resist the play on words. Might use this again throughout the story.  
  
***Part Three of Forbidden: His Staff As Golden As The Sun ***  
  
So, Eagle was revived.  
  
He had stumbled into the Knight's chamber while still woozy from his long time of silent slumber.  
  
There was slight celebration on that matter, especially concerning Lantis' considerably changed demeanor, but for the most part any such cheerful affairs or events that may have taken place were replaced by the pondering of the disappearances, and the beginning of a long and brutal search commissioned by people breaking off into groups and using whatever transportation magic they had to scope the entire layout of Cephiro.  
  
Not only that, but all those that possessed magic could feel the disturbing hue of black cast over the whole atmosphere. And the black sky, if you wanted to start talking about black, didn't change either. It was like it was night, except constantly.  
  
Yeah, it was night, in so many ways. Both physically and emotionally.  
  
So it went for a few days.  
  
Out of all there, no one seemed more distressed than Umi, Presea, or Hikaru. Umi worried for Ascot, Presea worried for Clef, Hikaru worried for everyone there.  
  
It was Hikaru's responsibility after all, as Pillar, to wish any such disturbance away.  
  
But she couldn't.  
  
Every wish she made fell on deaf ears, or rather, inactive magic. Not her own inactive magic, since that was pretty much intact, and she was pretty sure that she herself was functioning quite healthily in that department - but Mokona's system - the system that supported her magic's usage - it simply ceased - simply ceased to exist.  
  
She felt so lost and helpless now, in a world that was supposed to be under the guidance of her every whim, her every cheerful fantasy, her pure heart, her hope, her want for everyone to have love and to know love and to love.  
  
Because she's just that kind of special person.  
  
  
  
"It's his staff."  
  
Presea's questioning eyes lingered for a moment on the wooden stick, old and worn, yet somehow still maintaining a honey complexion as golden as the sun. Its designs were neither elaborate nor really even there, for years of usage had ridden itself of the already boring inscriptions, but there was still one thing there: her name, carved onto her very first work.  
  
Presea.  
  
She could almost hear her childish giggle of years ago as she eyed the despicable working of wood and craftsmanship, and a pleasant memory was brought to mind.  
  
It was herself from quite a few years ago, her former self running up a garden path - she couldn't remember what garden path anymore - but it was a beautiful garden, her favorite garden, but even better, her favorite person was just a few yards away in that favorite garden.  
  
The child Presea presented the staff to Clef, a contagious smile on her face. 'Look, Clef, I did it! But.' A little disappointment now, as the child Presea took sight of another staff by Clef's side, no doubt created by the workings of much more experienced and detail aware hands. '.It's pretty bad, isn't it, Clef? You'll have to teach me how to do that.' And the child Presea frowned and jabbed out one of her small cloaked arms, her fingers pointing specifically at the better one.  
  
Clef smiled and reassuringly hugged Presea, just a quick hug; a little reward for a job well done. 'I'll teach you, if you watch carefully.'  
  
"I did, Clef. I watched very carefully. Everything I know I learned from you."  
  
Ferio blinked, a little surprised at Presea's odd response. "What?"  
  
"Never mind."  
  
To get the old golden staff out of her mind, Presea looked all around the small chamber room quickly. Under lighter circumstances it had served as a guest room; now there was no bed, and it was decidedly empty. Probably to be used for storage of old magic icons just like the one Ferio now held in his hand.  
  
Still not enough, however, to turn her mind from him.  
  
Everything here reminded her of Clef.  
  
With a sigh she moved towards the window, looking out onto the gardens. That wasn't much of a change either, because Clef just seemed to like imprinting himself everywhere in her memory.  
  
She smiled, but said with a warning in her voice, "I trust there's a reason you summoned me here to look at an old staff, keeping me from being in a search party."  
  
"I didn't want to give the others false hope."  
  
Well, now. That certainly seemed like a reason, or at least the beginnings of a reason.  
  
It definitely seemed like the beginnings of a very good reason, if you wanted to get right down to it.  
  
Presea looked back to him rather quickly.  
  
"What?"  
  
Ferio moved forward a couple steps, the golden staff still outstretched. Presea, blinking, had no other choice but to take it, the feel of wood in her hands immediately familiar, somewhat comforting, and also a little instinctive, as her trained mind instantly sought out different ideas and forms of which she could use to enliven the old, but trustworthy, staff.  
  
"It's a magic technique that Clef taught us some time ago. It doesn't always work, and it's hard to find an object to use it on - but I think I remember him using this staff once while he was teaching us, so it may be able to do the job."  
  
Presea nodded, eyes widening, the value of the wood lying in her hands suddenly exposed for more than a possibly future renovated staff. "I can't remember what it's called." She admitted, somewhat sheepishly.  
  
Ferio smiled reassuringly. "Neither can I." A pause. "Can you do it?"  
  
A long sigh was issued from stressed confines, decidedly strong, yet feminine in sound and affect. "Can you?"  
  
"No. I forgot some time ago, and I've never been good at magic anyway. I've always decided that all I need is my sword - I guess I've always been wrong."  
  
Not much choice, then.  
  
"Then I guess I'd better be able to do it, huh?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
  
  
She felt cold.  
  
That was the first thing that she felt, and it she felt it strongly too, like a blast of frigid air had been borne upon her and then had decided to just stay for the heck of it. Otherwise, there was the familiar sensation of magic, the odd, eerie sort of content that fogged up her mind, and then the acute awareness that came to her next, telling her that she was using magic and that she must be careful and attentive. And, this time, there was also the forbidden feeling. Ferio had begun to term it 'the Forbidden'.  
  
Something more wonderful than these other things was also here, however. She could feel his presence.  
  
Clef.  
  
She couldn't see him; a strange fog had built up around the room, shading all things, Ferio included, from her sight. It was sort of like there were no walls, no boundaries, just this endless fog, these sensations, his staff, and his presence.  
  
Vocalism put gentle body to her weak, questioning words. " - Clef? Clef, are you there?"  
  
At first, silence.  
  
"Clef?"  
  
She stepped forward gently, wondering if her feet would suddenly find that there was no floor and then she would fall through to Mokona knows where*. But no, it was almost as if the fog became a solid body of something or other, keeping her decidedly where she was. And yet again, it was like it wasn't there, because she didn't feel the normal tint of cold that came with pressing against fog.  
  
She was too busy contemplating her odd surroundings that, at first, she didn't hear his voice. The second time around, however, her ears finally caught a wisp of familiarity, somehow both weak and strong in sound, the bearer of whose voice would have never forgiven himself for his own little ebb of humanity, the gentle fear that comes with facing such forbidden things put forth as a weak waver in his cry for Presea's name and presence.  
  
Presea turned quickly, the staff cluttering forgotten to the floor.  
  
"Clef."  
  
He nodded slowly, moving forward one step, his new staff making a thumping sound against the floor/fog. Presea's instant instincts were to run towards him, which she did - but he stopped her with a shout of "No, not yet!" and a hand rising palm face up. She stopped, remembering that to touch someone during this communication magic would mean instant cancellation of that very magic - but his end words of 'not yet' made her promise herself that when she could touch him she would do it proper - hug him for all her life. It wasn't right to not be able to hug him for all her life now, in fact. Just not right, not right at all.  
  
She opened her mouth to question his whereabouts, remembering her mission and Ferio's intention. She stopped however, eyeing him, and then instead stated simply, "You're taller."  
  
Clef looked himself over. "Am I? Yes, I see I am."  
  
"But how - ?"  
  
"Like Ascot, I can take any form I like."  
  
Well, if she couldn't touch him, she would go as near to him as she could. Stepping slowly forward, and upon the fact that Clef made no outcry or anything of the sort, she soon found herself directly in front of him, staring upward. Yes, he was taller now, a good couple inches taller than her at any rate, somewhat more masculine in build.  
  
They stared into each other's eyes for a moment. His eyes were so pure and good, very caring in it's every slight movement. That was the wonderful thing about him - his self-sacrifice; his driven need to protect and to care for. She always felt safe around him, except for now. Now she felt like she wanted to protect him, except that she knew he would never let her, because he had so much pride.  
  
Clef looked away for a moment, to the side. "Ascot is with me."  
  
She let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, good. Ferio wanted me to ask you -"  
  
"Ferio?"  
  
A nod to signify his correctness in the name. "We're all fine and here, besides for you two. He wanted me to ask you where you were - Oh! Clef, you're hurt." She reached out to touch his shoulder wound, but stopped herself just in time. Her hand wavered a moment in midair, just a little way from making that treasonous contact, then went back to her side, trembling.  
  
He smiled, turning back to face her. "Yes, but it's paltry." He paused before continuing, his gaze sweeping the expanse of her pale shoulders, and then turning back to the worried designs of her facial expression. "I can tell a story, but it will take a little time. I also have a feeling, however, that you are more than willing to listen."  
  
She nodded. "Correct. Please, before both of our magics fails us."  
  
He relayed to her the information that both Ascot and himself had been able to decode thus far. Alcione had attacked them, to start. Presea was surprised at this, but bade him to continue. A forbidden lingering feeling of magic - did she feel it? - and yes, she did - made both of them think that Alcione may be working for a higher power than her own aggressive ambitions.  
  
"It's very odd." Said Presea, at this point seated cross legged on the floor/fog, staring at her sandaled feet like they were the most interesting things in the world, when for the truth it was that they the most uninteresting things in the world, and were merely a divergence from the most interesting thing of the moment, that she wanted dearly to look at, but feared would make her want to hug it, and then that oh-so interesting thing would be gone. "I feel like something is invading my magic, and wants control of it. But it's too weak to really do anything than tell me that it's there."  
  
"That's how both Ascot and I perceive it." Clef agreed.  
  
She paused, thinking of the Magic Knight with light features and a fiery determination to take care of everyone, whether they like it or not. "By the way, is Ascot hurt?"  
  
A little chuckle came from above her. "You can tell Umi that he has a sword wound in his left side, but that it's been patched up and he doesn't suffer."  
  
They continued. Clef told Presea that both Ascot and himself had woken up in a dungeon with petty shackles bounding them to their confines, and that within a matter of moments they had escaped. From there on they found themselves in a gigantic castle, with winding halls and no guards. Besides the armor-clad men that had first thrown him in the dungeon, Clef explained, they didn't see or sense another living soul. Very soon they made their way out, understood it was an old fashioned sort of castle floating in the sky, and one of Ascot's dragons were now giving them a lift.  
  
"It shouldn't be long until I see something I recognize, and that will point our way back to you."  
  
She smiled, relief washing over her. "That'll be great, Clef. I'm so glad you aren't hurt severely. I worried so much, when Lantis first told me the news." She paused. "Oh, I've just remembered something. Clef, guess who woke up?"  
  
He had no clue.  
  
"Eagle!" She burst out, smiling.  
  
She awaited his little laugh to signify his smile - which she would not allow herself to see. Eagle meant an ally, logically, but, more importantly, he meant a friend's revival. But Clef did not smile, he did not laugh, and his only reaction was a profound silence that Presea associated with a frown.  
  
"Isn't that a good thing?" She asked quizzically, reaching over and picking up his old staff, fingering the designs that had been worked into the wood so many years ago.  
  
"Normally it would be." Clef finally answered, a long sigh accompanying his words. "But in light of certain developments, I only wonder, why now?"  
  
"A simple question."  
  
"A true one."  
  
They both laughed. Presea was satisfied that her little poetic venture had lightened the atmosphere.  
  
"There is one thing though, Presea."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Look up at me."  
  
She did as commanded, a little reluctantly.  
  
"I want you to send Hikaru to an old library. The Celes Library, you know where it is."  
  
"Not Umi?"  
  
He laughed gently. "Its connection with the water has nothing to do with its name. It is, actually, probably linked more to fire than any other thing, and Hikaru, as Pillar, needs to go there. And I want you to go back to your shop, because that's probably where Ascot and I will meet you."  
  
She nodded. "Of course."  
  
"One last thing," and with that he moved his newer staff forward in an offering type stance, "I want you to hold this for me."  
  
She studied it for a moment. The staff was one of her later workings, a thing she had spent perhaps a year on, sort of like a project that she taken on seeing how impossibly good she could make a thing. And when she was done, well, it just seemed the natural thing that her favorite working should be given to her - he was, after all - favorite friend.  
  
"I can't take it, though." She reminded him. "The magic won't allow it."  
  
He shook his head. "If we concentrate - "  
  
"All right."  
  
That done, she got to her feet, her hand outstretched for the intricate working of wood and attention. He obliged, and very soon she felt the feel of rough wood in her hands once more - then, surprising her, he reached out his other hand so quickly it couldn't have been acted on anything other than impulse - it shot out and around her waist, pulling her into a quick embrace. It was all there, the feel of his warmth cascading around her, his emotional need to protect her flowing over into her own sensors.  
  
"Be careful." He said, gentle vocalism whispered into her ear.  
  
She nodded, biting back a sob of both happiness and weakness, hugging him for all her life. Her grip around the staff tightened without mercy, not about to let it go either.  
  
Then he was gone, his warmth and his form fading into nothing, causing her to fall as his support disappeared. The fog cleared, and Ferio stepped forward.  
  
"What happened?" He asked urgently. "You were in a trance for a very long time."  
  
She said nothing immediately, clutching the staff where she lay on the floor.  
  
  
  
After she told Ferio what had happened, he managed to call back the search parties. They gathered around in the summoning room, and hatched a plan.  
  
Presea, Ferio, Fuu, and Umi, would go to Presea's shop and await the arrival of Clef and Ascot. Hikaru, Gardina, Lafarga, and Zazu would go to the Celes Library. Lantis, Eagle, and Geo would hold the fort. As for all the other princesses from Chizeta and the rest - this was not their fight, so they made plans to leave immediately, although they did say that if things got out of control they would be more than willing to lend a helping hand.  
  
Such was the plan.  
  
  
  
While Presea and Umi gathered their things for the journey ahead, both Ferio and Fuu went to the gardens. An eternal black sky cast a dark hue over their surroundings, but for once Ferio didn't mind, thinking it comforting in light of the fact it was so much like the first time they had kissed, those few days ago. Indeed, they walked down the very same path, towards the very same bench, the very same red roses by their sides.  
  
"Are you alright?" Fuu asked, sitting herself down on the bench and leaning against him.  
  
He nodded, his one arm going around her waist and pulling her in for a closer hug. "Worried." He admitted. "Fuu, do you remember when you told me about the monsters under your bed?"  
  
She giggled. "They weren't really there."  
  
"Yes, but you were convinced they were."  
  
"I was wrong."  
  
"But now you're not."  
  
He slowly reached up a tentative finger and pushed back some loose, untidy wisps of her blonde hair back into position behind her ear. Before he could stop himself, his finger then went on to trail the soft expanse of pale jaw. She reached up her own hand and took that one in her own, her ringed finger pushing a little big uncomfortably against it, but otherwise leaving him with a touch that felt as smooth as silk. "I don't quite understand what you mean." She admitted. "We're not facing monsters."  
  
"True." His eyes left her gaze for a moment, sweeping over the expanse of garden. "But whatever it is, I can't see. I'm sure it's there, however, and it's dangerous."  
  
To his pleasant surprise, she reached up and kissed his cheek. He felt himself immediately reddening. Most of the time he was the one who made any sort of advance whatsoever. Not that he was complaining. Looking back to her, he saw that she was smiling very innocently, eyes sparkling. "Please smile a little, Ferio."  
  
He did. She kissed him for it, on the lips. He kissed her back. And then they left the garden, and went on their way to Presea's shop. 


	4. Her Sword As Lovely And Sad As Her Eyes

Authoresses Note:  
  
I had such a hard time writing this one. With the other chapters I just wrote what came from my head, and then, sure, I did go over and make a few changes, but for the most part it was pure rambling. Here, after I copied down my mind's content, I made so many changes that this chapter is something completely different by now, and it would amaze anybody if I went into details about how much it changed. Still, I have doubts about its quality. If you think differently please don't hesitate to leave a review. And enjoy! ^___^  
  
  
  
***Part Four of Forbidden: Her Sword As Lovely And Sad As Her Eyes***  
  
  
  
The four of them - Ferio, Fuu, Umi, and Presea - started their journey through the Forest of Silence about midday. At least they thought it was midday, as according to their clocks and watches, but the reality of it all was that never mind what time of the day it was, the sky was black and it all seemed to be night anyhow.  
  
They got rather far before the attack. It was almost useless for them to fight, but they did anyway, like the warriors they were, even though the two Magic Knights had no magic. The tribesmen, heavily tanned with body paint, shabbily wearing deerskin, were much more adapted to the battleground of the forest. Ferio never saw the attack that hit him unconscious, as neither did Presea. Fuu, somewhat quicker on her feet, managed to fight back a little, but it was all in vain. By the time they reached Umi, the Magic Knight of Water had already showcased a sophisticated suaveness concerning the whole affair, knowing that she couldn't win - so she stuck herself with her own fencing blade and threw it hard to the bushes before the tribesmen could see what she'd done.  
  
It was a marking, sort of like how some people in fairy tales choose to leave breadcrumbs on a winding trail in scary forests, even though that attempt to eventually return home usually ends up afoul, as those same people are treated to long stays in candy houses with an awfully queer witch as their hostess. In the fantasy world that was Cephiro, however, Umi prayed that somebody - anybody - would recognize her sword with her blood on it. Then she fainted from her self-inflicted wound in the hands of her captors.  
  
The tribesmen took their bounty and headed to their village. Their new dark mistress would be very pleased indeed on their capture. Their reward would be vast, as promised, and it had been so easy, too! Of course, it was expected. Years their ancestors had spent in this forest, forming a unique culture like no other, and boasted themselves on even being able to capture the GRAND ONE by usage of stealth - or, in other words, the Pillar. That's what the mistress Alcione had wanted to know when she had hired them, after all. Could they catch the Pillar? GRAND ONE might be passing through this forest soon, and she could pay them for her capture.  
  
Alcione had never suspected that Clef would send Hikaru to the Celes Library.  
  
So all the tribesmen could wonder was, which one was the Pillar? Alcione had said it was a foreign girl. The one with the glasses, or the one with the long hair? The one with the long hair had been able to fight longer, but the one with the glasses had successfully wounded five of their men, whereas the one with the long hair had not even attacked anyone. Oh well, better let the mistress Alcione decide.  
  
  
  
Geo wandered the confines of the building, occasionally stopping to ogle the differences between Cephiro's and Autozam's style of architecture. He didn't even realize he was by Eagle's room until he was directly in front of the door. He paused, and then knocked. Hearing no answer, he remembered Ascot's conditions of capture, and barged in anyhow.  
  
Eagle was sleeping in bed like a baby.  
  
Geo breathed a sigh of relief, and then sat himself down on a chair next to the bedside, watching him silently.  
  
He was so gentle. And yet so strong. Such an odd mixture, such an ironic and contradictory mixture, but within this man it worked and only made sense.  
  
How weird. When Geo was with Eagle, it was like the whole world made sense, even in times of chaos.  
  
Eagle provided a method to the madness.  
  
It was probably under the influence of this train of thought that Geo did what he did, gently reaching a strong hand down and cupping one of Eagle's cheeks, gently brushing away a few soft wisps of silver hair back behind his ear. His skin was soft, portraying the gentle aspect of him more than anything else.  
  
Eagle groaned a little and blinked weary eyes awake. Geo immediately returned his hand to his side and sat waiting for Eagle to come more fully to, blushing a deep red.  
  
"What time is it?" Eagle asked tiredly, pushing himself up on his one arm and sending a glance throughout the expanse of the small, but still acceptable, room.  
  
Geo grinned. "A pleasant good morning to you too, Eagle."  
  
"I'm sorry." Eagle felt immediate misgivings for being so lazily rude and not saying a proper hello to his comrade of years. "Is it really morning?"  
  
"I have no clue. The sky's dark."  
  
"As it has been, for hours." Eagle sighed, rolling off the bed and fumbling with a dresser on the side opposite to Geo, pulling off his shirt to expose a strong arch of a back, somewhat more pale than it should be. Eagle had always been pale, never tanning, just going immediately to burn when in front of the sun's rays. It probably didn't help that Autozam's sun had gone toxic years ago.  
  
Geo paused before asking his question. It had been burning in his mind, however, ever since the joyful news that Eagle had awakened had reached him, and it could no longer be contained. ".Say, Eagle?"  
  
"Yes?" Eagle's response was somewhat muffled as he pulled a new shirt over his head. He then began to address the issue of pants, and even though Geo shouldn't have been uncomfortable with it, the somewhat stronger man by way of physical condition found himself looking away to the wall.  
  
"Now that you're awake, will you contact your father? He's probably curious as to where you are. You know, you told him you were going to take Cephiro and all that, and then you went in to Cephiro and you didn't return, and you obviously didn't 'take' it. Any father would wonder - maybe even worry, if they've got a worthwhile damn in them."  
  
"Then my father doesn't have a worthwhile damn in him." Came Eagle's startling reply. Geo blinked and looked back to him, which was no longer a problem because he had the new set of pants on already and was now only having problems with the buttons interlacing his shirt. "No Geo, I won't tell him. He can think of me as dead, or missing in action, for all I care."  
  
"Geez."  
  
Eagle turned to face Geo, still unsuccessful with the shirt buttons, surprised at the 'geez'.  
  
Geo went on, blushing again. "I've always known there's been no love lost between you and your father. But for Christ's sake Eagle, didn't you ever think that we may need him?"  
  
Eagle returned to his buttons. "I don't quite understand - ah, these things are horrible. Damn."  
  
"Here." With a couple quick strides Geo was out of his chair and over to Eagle, standing directly in front of him and helping him with the buttons, 'clumsily' using his large fingers with a grace that eluded a still drowsy Eagle. Progress was made. "I guess what I'm saying is we don't know what the hell is going on in Cephiro right now, but we'll probably need help with it. And Autozam is certainly in a position to help, if anyone is."  
  
Eagle looked to the ground, avoiding Geo's gaze. "You give my father too much credit, Geo. As far as he'll be concerned, Cephiro didn't help Autozam out in its time of need, so - and here's a direct quote from him, 'Screw 'em over 'cause we've got our own problems'. True," He smiled weakly as Geo's expression assumed that of disbelief, "He didn't say -that- when he was talking about Cephiro, or anything to do with Cephiro. It's just his general philosophy on life, I think."  
  
"Whatever's going on here could have something to do with Autozam in the long run, though." Geo returned, finishing up the last couple buttons. His fingers flitted over Eagle's soft skin for a moment, before moving back to the more allowed expanse of soft cloth, even though, in his humble opinion, the softness of the cloth was nothing compared to the softness of the skin. "I think he's a reasonable enough guy, and once he -"  
  
Geo stopped speaking, his gaze having scanned the room briefly. Lantis stood in the doorframe, typically solemn, bordering on anti-social, as usual. Even though Geo knew he -technically- had done nothing wrong, his hands left Eagle's chest. A couple of buttons were left un-buttoned. Eagle, questioning Geo's sudden lapse, looked up and immediately spotted Lantis.  
  
If Lantis thought anything about Eagle and Geo's interaction, he certainly didn't voice his unease. "We have a problem." He said, with just the same balanced I-don't-really-care-about-anything/I-care-about-everything way of living. Then he threw Umi's sword onto the bed, where it bounced a little under the soft, velvety cushioning, until finally coming to a rest. The white sheets were stained a light red where the blade was still wet.  
  
Eagle, who was closest to it, blinked and picked it up gingerly, turning it around his hand and somewhat enjoying the feel of a sword in his hand once again. True, he fought mostly with his GTO, but as the prince of his kingdom (or at least very close to that ranking) he had learned swordplay and become a more than able swordsman.  
  
As the blade glinted in the light, Eagle asked, "Why's it covered in blood?"  
  
"Who's is it?" Geo asked, getting to the point.  
  
"Umi's." Came Lantis' quiet reply.  
  
Both Eagle and Geo looked up very quickly to Lantis.  
  
"I went for a little ride after Hikaru and their group departed. And I started to head into the Forest of Silence, where I found that." A pause. Lantis continued, "I have a feeling that Ferio and the rest never quite connected with Clef and Ascot."  
  
  
  
One of the first things Ascot had noticed about Clef once the sorcerer had gotten out of the trance was that he was taller. He asked Clef about it, and Clef answered merely that they were sort of the same, and that he could also take any form he liked. Ascot didn't prod any further after that, but he did have a thought race through his mind that he himself had changed because he'd wanted to impress a pretty girl with a penchant for fiery, determined kindness, so -  
  
Who had Clef changed for?  
  
They talked briefly after that, mostly about their experiences in battle with Alcione. One of the points they found themselves stressing over and over with each other was that although she had not changed physically, she was so much stronger - so much! Both of them had been knocked out within five minutes of the battle, which, although may have been not quite out of the ordinary for Ascot, was saying something for the Guru Clef that had powers only second to the Pillar and the Knights.  
  
Soon, however, they landed at Presea's hut. And waited. Waited. Waited. Waited some more.  
  
And as they waited, Ascot couldn't help it. His mind wandered. He could remember the night of the picnic so well, when everything had seemed like the calm after the storm, even though now he realized it was the calm before the storm. So he sat himself down on the ground outside the building, and remembered.  
  
He had been talking with Umi, and as night - real night, not just an eerie eternal black - descended upon them, he had remembered an old little cliff face about a half a mile from the palace that was a simply beautiful place to regard the worlds in their places in the sky. He'd asked Umi if she wanted to come, and she had nodded, signifying a silent yes. So he took her there.  
  
'Wow.' She had said, more breathing than saying the words, scrambling to the top and kneeling on the grass. 'Beautiful. The moon's even prettier than on Earth. Or, at least, it's bigger. And brighter.'  
  
Ascot had frowned wonderingly as he had come up behind her, taking a seat on the grass next to her. The cliff went a fair while down, maybe about a mile or so. Normally, it was dizzying. Then, however, he had had a very sappy and whimsical thought that it wasn't nearly high enough, because angels deserved to be higher. Which, of course, made him beat himself up over it, being that it was such an entirely disgustingly wish-washy remark. 'Earth?'  
  
'Oh - the place we Magic Knights come from. - So that's Chizeta, over there?' She had pointed then to the honey-colored orb sitting a fair distance in the sky from the 'moon', which, Ascot guessed, was actually Autozam. But he wouldn't tell her that.  
  
'I think so. We should ask Tarta or Tatra first, though.'  
  
'Yeah.'  
  
They were both silent for a long moment then, taking in the beautiful view. It actually took Ascot a moment to realize his hat was off his head, but he eventually did, looking down to Umi with an expression of surprise.  
  
She had smiled up at him, the hat in her lap. 'There. You have beautiful eyes, Ascot. You shouldn't hide them.'  
  
He had blushed, a hand instinctively going up to feel the absence of hat, resting uncomfortably on his tuft of reddish hair. 'Hey, give that back.'  
  
She stuck her tongue out at him then. 'I just want to see you without it.'  
  
'You saw. Can I please have it back now?'  
  
She had shaken her head. He had blinked. And then whined. 'Uuuuuuummmmmmiiiiiiiii. Come on.'  
  
'Come get it.' She had laughed gently.  
  
He blinked again. The wind whistled through the trees, a soft and lovely sound, brushing back a bit of Umi's hair from her face and over onto her shoulder. Silence lapsed in between that and Ascot's next words, followed by action. 'Fine!' He had yelled out, but jokingly so, and then made a grab at it.  
  
She dodged, and he tried again, it resulting in the two of them falling backward the way they had come, rolling softly down the soft expanse of hill. It was a blurred collage of Umi's hair, the black of the sky, and the green of the grass, the only sound being the soft thumps they made against the grass, as well as their laughter vibrating into the vague night like crystals. He wasn't sure why like crystals, but that was how it had struck him.  
  
Then, to his horror and joy, they had come to a stop in a unique position: Ascot lying on top of Umi, his hands positioned behind her back, gripping softly at the cloth that was also his hat, as it had somehow arrived underneath the curve of her back.  
  
Umi had giggled, and then let out a long sigh. 'You still don't have it.' She had pointed out to him. 'And you won't until you say the magic words. Do you know the magic words, As -"  
  
He couldn't explain what had come over him then. It's just that she had been lying there, so playful and beautiful, and her body fit perfectly into his in this position, the curves of her legs into his groin, and he loved being around her, and he'd wanted so much to touch her, so he had - he'd reached down and silenced her with a long kiss. Long. It would have been bad enough if he'd gone down and given her a little peck, on the cheek, but no, he'd had to do a full kiss, on the lips. It was just that, at the time, he was pretty sure she had responded, her hands going up to massage the nape of his neck and her torso moving upwards to position against his.  
  
When it was done, he had realized his mistake and rolled off of her, blushing.  
  
She'd smiled and continued their conversation about Chizeta, as if nothing had happened. 'Tarta was telling me about how small their place is. Do you know anything about that, Ascot?...'  
  
And so it had gone, for the rest of the night. Talking, like she hadn't taken any offense. Like it hadn't happened. But even the thought of that memory made Ascot blush, so it definitely had happened. He just hoped that he hadn't offended her in some way - after all, she hadn't slapped him or anything - basically she'd just refused to acknowledge that it had happened.  
  
"Ascot." Came Clef's voice, somewhat tense, breaking through his thoughts.  
  
Ascot blinked, and looked up from his gaze's position on the ground, taking in Clef standing in front of him. Clef's back was to him, as Clef himself faced the fringe of forest and the small hub of activity that was bristling within. Then, the source of trodden twigs and leaves was given to be Lantis.  
  
Coming through the trees, on horseback. Wait. There was also Eagle now, on a different horse, coming in behind him.  
  
Ascot had to fight hard to control the curse that made its way through his vocal chords as he saw the sword that Lantis straddled in his right hand.  
  
  
  
Ow.  
  
He felt like shit.  
  
Rolling over - although he didn't know where he was rolling over or what he was rolling onto - he could tell that his leg had been cut by something, for it ached and felt wet. Beneath him, he felt something sticky and scratchy - straw? Yet, the straw had a method to it, like it was woven together - this kind of understanding told him that he was in a straw hut, even though the pain in his leg kept him from opening his eyes for a good moment or two, and the only vision he could be allowed was a deep dark black, occasionally with those fire red rings of hallucination that present themselves to people that shut their eyes too tightly, as he was doing then.  
  
Slowly though, he fought through it and opened his eyes.  
  
He was right.  
  
He was in a straw hut, as was illustrated to him by the uneven, honey- colored material dominating the roof, walls, and floor. His right leg was torn up quite a bit, with the cloth shattered and long streaks of bloody red practically crisscrossing the expanse of bare skin by his ankle. At first he thought he had been burned, but since it didn't hurt the way a burn does, he dismissed that.  
  
Telling himself to concentrate, to try to seek out and discover the confines of his 'prison', he quickly set about detailing where he was - which was, simply, nowhere. Without simplification, however, it could be seen to be a small straw hut, with no one else around, and windows barred by sticks. It was wholly dark in the hut, and it took a while for his eyes to adjust and note these things.  
  
Another thing was that, if his injured leg was not enough implication for such, he knew he was a captive - wherever he was. His hands were bound together, normally soft cloth tearing at his skin because of how tightly it -was- bound. That actually pained him more than his leg, sufficiently so.  
  
Before he could make any more observations however, the straw door to the straw hut was opened very slowly, as if someone was teasing it open. Deciding to play dumb, Ferio lay back down in his former position and resumed a look of a slumber. Footsteps, as that person fully entered the room.  
  
"Insolent Sheki Tribe. I promised them five hundred of their stupid form of money, and they know it. It's idiotic - I won't pay that ridiculous amount."  
  
Ferio had to fight the impulse to blink his eyes open as he recognized the voice. The speaker, feminine and beautiful, yet hiding a seductive level of dangerousness to her beauty, was supposed to be dead.  
  
Of course, she wasn't, because Presea had reported that Clef and Ascot had reported the opposite. But still. It almost seemed to him as if she still was dead, for he did not see her body, and it was a disembodied voice that droned on and on.  
  
He should keep up the act, however, he told himself, because Alcione might let something slip if she thinks I'm still asleep. I'm not sure what, but something is better than nothing.  
  
He suddenly felt her presence - her warmth, maybe - step closer to him. He was positive she was kneeling by him. And his theory was only proven when soft fingers pressed against his face, trailing the path of his cheekbones and brushing back some bangs behind his ears. His heart thudded, and he wondered what the hell she was doing. Studying to see if it was really he, one of Clef's fellow disciples as a child?  
  
A soft chuckle descended upon him, hot breath pushing into his ear. He felt his head tilted up, and knew she was staring directly at him.  
  
Not yet, though, not yet, I'm still asleep and I want you to tell me something you idiotic excuse for a sorceress.  
  
"Those little weirdo's couldn't even tell the difference between a Pillar and Prince. How disappointing. I told them she was red haired. Not blonde, nor with a blue tinge - red."  
  
Wait a second here. How could Alcione know that Hikaru was Pillar now? She was killed far before those events had taken place.  
  
Unless -  
  
Someone had told her.  
  
Alcione rambled on. Ferio tried his best to make his face appear slack. "Heh. Ferio, brother of that which took Zagato away from me."  
  
And then, a shot of pain as her free hand pulled back and slapped him harshly against the cheek. Ferio's instinctive reaction was quick - after recoiling, he opened his eyes, saw his enemy for the first time in quite a while, pulled himself out of her grasp, and sent her a hard kick that caught her neatly in her side, sending her to the ground with a little feminine grunt.  
  
Alcione smirked from her newly disgruntled position on the floor. "I thought you were awake, but I wasn't sure." 


	5. Hanging By A Moment Here With You

Authoresses Note:  
  
OK, so I'm thinking about naming this part Hanging By A Moment Here With You, and then I decide nah, that's totally stealing from Lifehouse's song. And then the song actually comes on the radio while I'm debating this in my head! So, anyway, a couple songs later I have to leave to handle real life stuff, and I end up coming back four hours later. The song is on again! It's kismet, I tell you, cosmic powers working here! Thusly, I proudly steal from the lyrical geniuses, Lifehouse, and present to you the next segment in my saga.  
  
***Part Five of Forbidden: Hanging By A Moment Here With You ***  
  
  
  
"I hate you. I hate you, and I hate your sister. What you did to me was horrible."  
  
Ferio looked up slowly from where he sat on the scratchy straw floor, his eyes coming to rest on her darkened form. She sat at the other end of the hut, her with her scanty outfit as usual, her darkly menacing features enhanced by the general lack of light in which they swam. He said nothing to reply immediately, quietly boiling in his own anger and thinking to himself that this was how she had always been, spoiled and selfish and a little arrogant, although it may have never consumed her like it did now.  
  
To him, this would always remain a mere tantrum, on a slightly larger scale.  
  
She continued, paying no heed to his glaring. "Your sister was the worst, though. I hated her more than anything. She was always so arrogant. Look at me, I'm the Pillar! Worship me, for I worship the world for your benefit! ....So arrogant. I couldn't walk past her without throwing up."  
  
That was never the way it was, you idiot. You were friends, before you fell in love with Zagato. Even then, you were still friends. You only stopped being such when you realized something that we'd known for forever, that Zagato loved Emeraude, and not you.  
  
"Did you know that Zagato and I were lovers way before she came into the picture? The little brat stole him from me. That's what she did. She seemed so innocent all the time, maybe even a little naïve, but underneath that lie was a seducer, a horrible woman, whose only morals lay in her role as peacekeeper, and - "  
  
"No."  
  
Ferio's sudden vocalism surprised both Alcione and himself. She snapped her gaze up from the straw ground that she had been contemplating, her darkened expression portraying amazement rather than anger. "What?" She asked snappishly.  
  
He chuckled, an ironic thing that may have been the most painful laugh he'd ever indulged in. "You were the seducer."  
  
My sister was not, you idiot. My sister was never anything more than a wonderful person who loved everyone and wanted everyone to love, and her only flaw, if you could call it that, was that she loved Zagato a little bit more than everyone else -  
  
There was a whistle through the air as the blade traveled at a dangerous speed, whizzing past Ferio's head and missing his left ear by only an inch or so. The suddenness of it caught Ferio's breath in his throat - he hadn't even noticed that she had a sword - but besides the suddenness, he realized that if she'd aimed just a couple inches more to the right, he wouldn't be able to ponder the suddenness of it. Luckily for him, a clumsiness of the hand had caused Alcione's aim to go askew, and instead of sinking itself in him, it was now stuck in the straw wall.  
  
Absolute silence reigned for a moment. Then Ferio, getting his heart to stop racing, slowly stood and gripped the sword with his two tied hands, not exactly an easy feat by any means, and eventually succeeded in pulling it out.  
  
The only weapon was now his.  
  
Ferio turned back to face Alcione, his face now expressionless. The same mask, devoid of emotions, rested in Alcione's gaze, as she stared up at him.  
  
"My sister was never a seducer." Ferio finally said.  
  
"Then how come," Alcione asked solemnly from her position on the floor, "He was in love with me first, but dropped it all for her?"  
  
"Because," Ferio answered, his anger growing again, "He was never in love with you, but you allowed blindness to lead you on anyway."  
  
A smirk, a careful upward motion of her pretty lips, the affect somewhat menacing, dripping of cunning deviousness. "Your sister was of the worst sort. I said it before, and I'll say it again. She knew how much I loved him, and still she went ahead and did it. The little slime went ahead and did it!" A pause. "She ruined everything for me!"  
  
And she started to sob right there, her smirk falling, her face going to hide in her hands, her long black hair drooping uselessly over her shoulders as her back shook with the pressure of her raw emotions.  
  
"Shut UP, Alcione! You don't even know what happened!" Ferio snapped, his anger escalating, feeling nothing for her tears. "She never wanted it! Don't you see, she couldn't love anyone like she wanted to love Zagato, she wasn't allowed to, and that was killing her, and you could never be half the person she was." The last part was added in for his own benefit, his rising fury at her stupidity wanting to add in a remark.  
  
"N-NO!" Her next words were let out in a high-pitched shriek/wail, "SHE N- NEVER COULD APPRECIATE HIM, COULD SHE?"  
  
"Don't you dare say that, Alcione."  
  
"T-THAT HIS LOVE WAS SOMETHING SPECIAL, S-SOMETHING I COULD NEVER HAVE, N- NOT SOMETHING TO CURSE"  
  
"SHE NEVER CURSED HIS LOVE! SHE LOVED HIM!"  
  
"I W-WANTED TO SPEND THE REST OF M-MY LIFE WITH HIM, FERIO!"  
  
Well.  
  
Ferio was stunned speechless.  
  
He simply stood there for a moment, his sensors running over with pity, his expression that of bewilderment.  
  
After all, that was the sentiment he had been feeling about Fuu, wasn't it? Ferio wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, and he knew he couldn't. But if Fuu suddenly went crazy and wanted to destroy Cephiro, would he help her because he loved her? That was the position Alcione had been put in, after all, and Ferio wasn't sure how much different his own actions would have been.  
  
He let out a long sigh, striding forward a couple steps and resting his blade against her neck. She looked up in surprise, but then stopped, noting the blade as well as the fact that if she moved too much she would soon be beheaded.  
  
As for Ferio, he looked down on her with would have been an almost kind expression, were it not for the fact that he held the blade that was now at her throat. "Alcione, just tell me why you're doing this. Why do you want the Pillar? Zagato's happy now, and you should be happy for him." He drew in a deep breath. "I'm happy for my sister."  
  
She merely glared at him, a glare in the midst of her own wreckage, her face stained with the painful tears that had wracked her body a moment ago. A lone isolated tear trailed down her cheek and onto the trembling hand that rested on her knee. "I want Hikaru, the Pillar," And he knew that she truly did know who the new Pillar was, even though she'd been dead, "Because, even if I don't love my new master, I believe in his cause. And that's to destroy everything a Pillar has ever held dear. Because pollution holds pearls of its own."  
  
He tightened his grip on the sword hilt, ignoring her strangely poetic last sentence. "Master? Who's your master now?"  
  
She was silent, glaring up at him rebelliously.  
  
He sighed. "Where's." He almost said Fuu, but stopped himself, and said instead, "Where's the others that I was traveling with?"  
  
"You mean Presea and the two Magic Knights?" She laughed, which was a dangerous thing, considering where the sword was. Ferio could feel the blade vibrate in his hands. "In these - huts, that's what I think they're called - yes, in huts, just like you. And they're about to have a little trouble in a couple of minutes, because they're disposable, you know."  
  
" - What - what do you mean?"  
  
He was beginning to feel sick. He was tired, hadn't eaten for forever, and for some reason or another, he had a sort of drugged headache, and he didn't put it past Alcione to have loaded him with something, which is probably why he slept so long. Unless.... yes, of course, his leg wound. It looked sort of like a poison dart had punctuated it. Expect that that wasn't what was important, what was important was that Fuu could be in serious trouble, and he did not want her to get hurt, and he'd die for her because that's how love works, and how love had been working for him was that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, and it was so stupid - stupid!  
  
"None of your business." Alcione growled back  
  
He scowled down at her, losing the pity. "I have the sword. It's very much my business, and very much yours, if you want to stay alive."  
  
She laughed again, the meaning behind her sudden self-expression ironically both vague and obvious. "You would never do it, Ferio. And besides, you don't have the sword." And then she moved with lightning-fast speed that he knew she would never have been capable of in the past, kicking his stomach where it was slightly exposed, her knee whacking it hard, and then wrestling the sword out of his grasp.  
  
Ferio fell back to the floor with a distant sounding thud, no longer the master of this odd game.  
  
And yet, even as Alcione stood over him with the newly acquired blade, she let it drop with a careless manner. It landed on the floor, at Ferio's feet, turning over several times on impact. Then she went to the door, carefully stepping over him.  
  
As she stood by the door, she looked over her shoulder at him and smirked. "Remember this, Ferio. I've had two chances to kill you this evening, and I didn't." A pause. "Zagato would be so sad if you died, you know, if the younger brother of his beloved met an untimely end." Another pause. "So, until next time, when I get the Pillar."  
  
Why was she telling him she wanted the Pillar, so straightforward like that, he wondered. Then the answer came to him - because she's proud, and she's always wanted to be important, and now she's finally striking fear in the hearts of her greatest nemesis', and she wants to milk that a little.  
  
And with that, she opened the door and left. The sword lay on the floor at his feet.  
  
Ferio was left alone, but as before with Clef and Ascot, a means of escape was left at his close disposal. All he had to do was cut his tied hands untied by usage of the sword, and then run. Though he would feel, he knew, like a mouse running into a trap, for Alcione didn't just slip up like she did now. Not without having some greater plan in mind.  
  
  
  
Of course, the four had questions for each other. Lantis couldn't understand why Clef had grown taller, and Clef wondered who was manning the fort back at the palace (it was Geo), while meanwhile Ascot finally pointed out huffily that never mind all that, how come there was Umi's sword but no Umi? Eventually, the answers were communicated.  
  
"I have a theory." Lantis said, carelessly throwing an object to the ground by Ascot's feet. Ascot frowned and picked it up - it was a spear, of a familiar make to him. He kept abnormally silent, eyeing the thing and turning it over and over in his hand, as if he couldn't believe he was holding it and he just had to check a little more to make sure.  
  
Lantis continued. "I found this in the forest near the area that I found the sword - it's a spearhead, I think, and I think its from one of the tribes that occasionally camp here for the winter."  
  
"It looks like Sheki." Clef had been standing beside Ascot, but now he stepped forward as he spoke, moving towards Lantis and Eagle atop their horses. "Yes," He sent a backwards glance towards Ascot and the weapon Ascot held, "Definitely Sheki."  
  
Eagle spoke up at last. "What would a tribe of nomads want with the four of them, though?"  
  
"My theory is that someone hired them." Lantis continued, simultaneously answering Eagle's question. "In the past, they've acted as bounty hunters, when things were - unstable." A pause. No one objected at the description, so he went on, "I think this might have been some elaborate plan to get the Pillar into the forest."  
  
"Where she's incapable of worthy defense." Clef finished for him.  
  
Lantis nodded.  
  
Clef tried to think straight, but it was somewhat difficult. To get her into the forest, to know that Clef had planned this to be the point at which they met, that symbolized a prediction magic of a very high order. And yet, this enemy was not perfect either, for it should have been able to foresee that Clef would send Hikaru to the Celes Library, instead of risking the Pillar's journey through a place that allowed no magic. Or they were playing dumb.  
  
As he tried to search his way through his muddled thoughts, all he could see was her sweet smile, and the feel of her embrace. Yes, during that communication magic, he had acted on something that he couldn't place - instinct? - and he had reached out and hugged her hard, hugged her like this was the last time he'd ever get to see her. At the time he'd never thought that it might be literally. But yes, he'd hugged her hard and she'd been able to take the newer staff while - while he'd taken the older one, the older one that was capable of the communication magic. A switch. Presea had made this staff, and since it was already proven to be capable of the communication type magic -  
  
"I have a plan." He said, at length.  
  
Relief showed in the eyes of his comrades. He was always the one that made the plans, the one they could depend on.  
  
  
  
The forbidden feeling was so strong.  
  
The time before this, when being summoned by Presea, he had felt it yes, true. But then it had merely been a foul twist in the wind, a hidden something in the fog that coveted the floor that was not a floor. Now it so totally shrieked everything that he felt intimidated, for a moment, and for Clef to be intimidated magically was not an easy feat whatsoever.  
  
Concentrate.  
  
Where's Presea?  
  
And then he saw her almost immediately. She lay on the floor asleep, turned onto her side, her hands noticeably bound behind her back, a long, wide cut trailing down the expanse of bare leg, from her knee to her ankle.  
  
Oh. Damn.  
  
But she was breathing.  
  
Thank Mokona, she was breathing.  
  
Clef wanted to kill whoever had done this to her. Then he realized killing was against his code. He still wanted to kill that person, or persons, if need be.  
  
He ran over to her, feet disturbing the vague fog that encompassed all, stopping only when he was kneeling by her side. Resting the staff that, without which this communication would not be possible, he timidly reached a finger to feel her soft cheek, then remembered that touch would destroy his thought process and erase it all. Hesitatingly, his hand hovered over her face for a fraction of a moment, and then he returned it to his side.  
  
"Hey, Presea....Presea, time to wake up." His voice wavered. "Presea, listen to me. I need you to wake up, okay? I need to speak to you, so wake up.....Presea...."  
  
She groaned a little, and then, to his surprise, rolled over onto her other side, her back now facing him. Her heavy breathing signified to him that, despite her sudden movement, her logic still dwelled in the realm of the asleep. "Don't be silly....I'm not tired....now please go away.....I'm not done with the sword yet, it'll take another week...."  
  
He blinked. And, despite circumstances, a smile made its way onto his worried expression. "That's too bad, because I'll be needing it to defeat Alcione. However, I'll also need you. So please wake up."  
  
She stirred again. He was positive that, once again, despite appearances to the contrary, she was still dozing, but this time that conclusion was proven false as she slowly lifted up her head and gazed quietly at him over her shoulder. "Hi." She said gently, yawning and blinking a couple times.  
  
He smiled weakly. "Hi."  
  
"Did I fall asleep or something while coming to meet you?" She asked, rolling over onto her knees, facing him directly at last. Sleep still fogged up her eyes, as well as her entire awareness system, for she was given to a yawn every so often. "I feel woozy...I hope they didn't have to carry me or anything, I didn't mean to be a burden."  
  
Her? A burden? "Never."  
  
Studying the intricate aspects of his facial expression, she realized that something was wrong. "Clef? What's wrong with you?"  
  
Clef gave himself a quick look over. "Something wrong? No, there's nothing wrong."  
  
"But you look so worried...I....Oh."  
  
Her eyes took on such a blank expression for a moment that he panicked and jumped to the conclusion that something was horribly gone; he leaned forward, about to take her shoulders by his hands and look her straight in the eyes, asking what was it, was she okay? But before he could do that she spoke again, and he fell from the high conclusion he had jumped to.  
  
"We're not physically together, are we?" She asked.  
  
He shook his head. "No."  
  
"I...that makes sense." Her voice wavered somewhat, her words spoken with considerably less volume as her face fell. "I think I'm in a hut."  
  
He nodded. "Alright. I'm sorry Presea, I thought that when I contacted you, you would've already been awake for a little while and able to make sense out of this." A pause. "Just tell me what you can."  
  
"Fuu and Umi are next to me." She rose up her two bound hands, contemplating them, wincing a little. The cloth had been tied around her hands far too tightly, for some of her skin had rubbed away to reveal a sensitive patch of blood. "...They're tied up like I am."  
  
He nodded, but she shook her head. "That's honestly all I know, Clef. I don't know if I can tell you that 'something' you want to hear."  
  
"It's enough." It's enough to see you again. "I guess that's it. Be careful."  
  
To his surprise, she was smiling through the dismal news that had reached the two of them. And then a giggle. "Guess we shouldn't end it like last time."  
  
He smiled, despite himself, and they both chuckled. "Yes. Perhaps not."  
  
"Yeah. What was that?"  
  
A pause, as he wondered to himself the very same thing. His smile fell, not really into a frown, but there was not even a remnant of a smile left either. With his smile eventually came the fall of his gaze as well, as he contemplated the floor like it was the most interesting thing in the world. "I suppose -" He looked up back to her, and stopped.  
  
She had gone pale. And her eyes had gone wide.  
  
"Persia?"  
  
"Clef, I think there's someone in the hut with us."  
  
He didn't know what to think. What was he supposed to tell her? To break out of the communication, right, and fight whomever it was. Considering this person was dangerous. If they weren't, why was Presea so scared?  
  
He had just opened his mouth to tell her to go, and to be careful, when a sword sliced through his arm. His immediate action was to grab his arm and feel for the wound, except that there was no wound, and the sword disappeared, and he never knew who it was that held the sword - for this was not in his reality, it was in Presea's.  
  
"There's fighting." Presea said. "A lot of people, and they're fighting - I -"  
  
Holding the arm that had been sliced through and yet had no wound; he raised his worried eyes to Presea. And then, just as he'd hugged her for all his life the last time they'd been in the communication magic, he did so again now, reaching out the arm without a wound and grabbing her around the waist, simultaneously forcing the magic to end and her to come back to earth, for she was obviously panicking and not putting the two and two together that she had to stop talking with him and fight whatever it was that was going on.  
  
Her warmth and her touch was immediately borne upon him again - and in was in light of that that he decided what he decided, which was that never mind breaking the magic, I'm bringing her back with me, if I can do it with the staff I can do it with her - and I just realized what that had been, it had been the fact that I love her -  
  
"Presea, concentrate." He said gently, literally holding her upwards against gravity. Her body had gone limp under the strain of an unknown pressure in her reality, and the fact that it was unknown made him all the more scared.  
  
She drew in a whimpering breath, her fingers weakly gripping his shoulder. Although he could not see it, her eyes had gone blank again. "The huts on fire."  
  
That was all he needed to hear. He felt a ripping, tearing sensation, as the limits and regulations to something as rebellious and scattered as magic kicked into action, but worked hard to concentrate on only one thing - her - the feel of her, the feel of her living body pressing into her own and breathing, breathing and able to smile, to live out her vibrant personality -  
  
Presea -  
  
And then the darkened forest canopy blurring in and out of focus, ending with definition. He fell back to the forest floor, his arm still around the curve of her waist, his cheek pressed into her own. They rolled a little under the impact of it, and then shifted a little, adjusting to the weight. When it was all done there they lay on the ground, Presea on top of Clef, Ascot, Lantis, and Eagle standing around them with open mouths.  
  
They had seen Clef let out a yell, and then he had blurred into nothing, the forest floor and the shrubbery taking his place. Then he had sudden appeared a couple feet over the ground, hovered for the slightest fraction of a moment, then fell under the workings of gravity as Presea appeared in his arms and the two fell back to Earth in each other's arms.  
  
All Clef could think was that he had done it, and she was safe.  
  
Presea let out a long sigh, her uneven breath occasionally breaking into a sob. "Umi and Fuu....the hut was on fire...."  
  
Clef wasn't so sure. The sword that had sliced through his arm, and yet not sliced through his arm - he was pretty sure now it was Ferio's. And Ferio would protect them.  
  
'Yeah. What was that?'  
  
"It was love."  
  
  
  
Hikaru and crew traveled on through the countryside, blissfully unaware of these troubling new developments. Fatigue, however, began to threaten to slow them down, what with both Zazu and Hikaru starting to stumble every couple steps, needing the eight hours sleep that children their age always craved, and they would have set up camp were it not for the fact that Lafarga and Gardina both objected very much against doing so, their logic founding on the fact that they needed to get to the Library as quickly as possible. So, when the two could go on no longer, it was decided that the simplest solution was to carry them, which they did, Lafarga taking Zazu on his one shoulder and Gardina taking Hikaru as well.  
  
Another day passed. Eventually it was presented to Lafarga that the same need of sleep was rearing its ugly head in Gardina's composure, for the woman was stumbling every so often, and yawning at impromptu times during their conversation. When he accused her of this, naturally she rejected it, telling him "Don't be silly. Honestly, do I look tired to you?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
She allowed him to carry her. And so it was - Lafarga bearing the loads of all three of them, Zazu slung over his right shoulder and Gardina over the other, while Hikaru rode on his back. If not for his strength, it might have been uncomfortable.  
  
The stretch of dirt road they were traveling on could be described as very beautiful, what with the miles of rich, lush meadow on either side of them. It was in this setting that Lafarga was surprised to see an old woman sitting cross-legged on the road; he stopped at sighting her, still a good couple yards away.  
  
The woman, her back bowed with age and her face wrinkled for the very same reason, rose to her feet, obviously having seen him too. "And here is Lafarga, of very high order in the court of Guru Clef! As well as the foreigners Zazu and Gardina - Zazu being from Automzam, while Gardina is from Chizeta - and who is this?" She smiled thinly. "Hikaru, the foundation of the world we are in at this very moment." And her thin smile widened as she swept the sleeping Hikaru a bow. 


	6. Promise Me This

Authoresses Note:  
  
I apologize for the long wait. I had the dreaded disease commonly known as writer's block, plus, since I am pursuing a role in writing outside of fanfiction, was busy working on some stories set in my own little universes. And oh yeah, just a little disclaimer here: I have no idea where Ascot really comes from. The manga details him as a wanderer. I'm just making this up. Making stuff up is fun. ^___^ BTW, if there was any confusion, the reason Ferio was down about Fuu leaving him was that they live in different worlds - hell, some couples have trouble staying together just being in different states. Of course, this two are -special- , and they shall overcome! C'mon, that couldn't have been that much of a spoiler.  
  
***Part Six of Forbidden: Promise Me This ***  
  
"What? You know where they are?"  
  
Ascot nodded under Lantis' sharp gaze, looking away to the sky that eluded him from beyond the canopy. After a moment he looked back to the swordsman atop his horse, his eyes resting right on the others and not straying. "We'll need one of my monsters, but I can't summon him here. I'm not sure how Clef was able to use that magic with Presea despite the fact that he was in the forest - some trick, I guess - but I can't do it."  
  
Lantis and Eagle exchanged glances, Lantis pausing to study his friend's masculine beauty before returning his ponderings to the monster summoner that stood before him, stood before him with an offer and a plan. All Lantis had to do was agree and give the shady traveler full authority, a task that, considering the summoner's past, was not all that easy. But worth it? Yes, worth it, if they could recover their friends. And would the summoner lie? Perhaps not, especially when the summoner, as he did now, held the sword that dripped of the Magic Knight Umi's blood.  
  
He couldn't help looking at the unconscious Clef that lay on the forest floor. Habit demanded the guru sort out all such problems, but now the guru, after pulling Presea out of empty air, had fallen asleep very soon afterwards, only heard to mumble some incoherent words that Lantis could not decipher, and then fall victim to the extreme fatigue that had laid siege to him. Presea then fell into her own descent into sleep - different circumstances would have very quickly titled the whole affair as comical, but under the definitely realistic circumstances it seemed anything but.  
  
"How could you know where they are?" Eagle asked, gentle voice cascading over the same question that had been taking an underdeveloped form in Lantis' mind.  
  
Ascot's expression took that of almost a scowl. "They're taken by the Sheki, right?"  
  
Silence lapsed between the three. At last, Lantis nodded. "That's what we suspect."  
  
"Then," And Ascot's voice had an annoyed edge to it, rising and falling with the escalating fury that carried his words, "I know where they are - I just know. Come on, we can't waste anymore damn time!" He paused, turning around, his back now to them, and started walking - a silent sign that, regardless of what they did, he was doing this, and they could either follow or not.  
  
I'm not losing you now, Umi. I have to at least tell you how I feel; I'm just that selfish.  
  
They followed.  
  
Clef and Presea were rode out of the forest as circumstances dictated they should be, their state of unconsciousness obviously not helpful were any enemies to pull an underhanded attack on them, and since it seemed underhanded attacks had become the rule not the exception, such precautions had to be taken. The castle wasn't that far so they were taken there, and then they allowed Ascot to lead them.  
  
  
  
Fuu stirred where she was on the floor, memory drifting back to her across the abyss of sleep she'd plunged into. As fitful dreams fell away to a fitful reality, the aide of sight told her that she had not gotten that much further since their temporary escape. Yes, no longer in the hut tied to the floor besides Presea and Umi who had also been just as shackled - well, she now found that she was outside, in the presence of night, of course, with the canopy of trees above her head and the shrubbery of a forest scene all around. By no means, however, had she escaped, as she realized with a cold chill as logic and awareness came back to her, helping her survey the grounds.  
  
A blurry façade of ache and weariness hindered her search for understanding, but she was able to surmise that she was still in the village, as the hundreds of native villagers crowded into the - town square perhaps - proved. While not exactly a town square, it was a clearing that had forbade grass to grow, letting somewhat muddy dirt proclaim the spot, with a backdrop of huts and various housing units set against the crowd of people around the area, fencing it in to be a circle. She was toward the side of that circle, looking outwards to the middle, held in her position by a number of the villagers/savages that had seized her arms and were very efficiently keeping her where she was, as a backwards glance then proved.  
  
What exactly -had- happened? She had been tied up on the ground in a hut with Presea and Umi beside her, that was true, with men hovering over them certainly under none other than the role of captors and/or guards, and then - and then Ferio had burst in. There had been fighting, and then someone had shown a fire ability of a superior kind - when they couldn't possibly have a fire attack, at least not of that quality, for it equaled Hikaru's - perhaps even surpassed Hikaru's - and then the whole hut had been ablaze and Presea had disappeared into thin air, while Ferio had somehow managed to get both Umi and herself out of there.  
  
'I was so worried,' She could recall him saying, bent over her with his head in his hands as they both sat on the forest floor a good distance from the village, 'I was worried sick. Don't ever worry me like that again, Fuu. Please. I don't want to be like her.'  
  
And even though he made no explanation of who 'her' was, Fuu needed to only think of Ferio's own beautiful kindred that had been the supporter of a world only to have her downfall be the world's most basic rule and the ebb from which she gained all her power: love.  
  
And then...  
  
And then their captors had found them once more, and their depleted strength was forced to succumb to them.  
  
Which brought him to where she was now, she supposed. She wasn't really sure what that was, though. She wasn't sure of anything anymore -  
  
Ferio.  
  
"FERIO!"  
  
The cry was dragged from her throat as four guards entered the impromptu arena, in front of them none other than Ferio, whose leg injury had only worsened and now forced him to limp. He turned as she let out the yell, smiling softly and casting her a little wave before one of the taller guards gave him a gentle little shove of the shoulder, reminding him to continue onward, and of course he obliged. These people, she realized, weren't savages, just money-grubbers. Yes, that was what they reminded her of - money-grubbers, or perhaps power-grubbers.  
  
They were treated with respect, for the most part. Things could be worse. Much worse. Thing could always be worse. That was the train of thought of one of the world's greatest optimists, Fuu, and it was a train of thought that many could benefit from.  
  
What was going on? So there was Ferio here, but what about Umi? And what was that with Presea - had Presea yelled out Clef's name before she had gone, or was it just her? She strained to see, trying to move forward but stopped by the massive block of muscle that held her arm down.  
  
A new figure stepped in now, a man of young age and, she had to acknowledge it, definite handsome nature. His long red hair that flowed to his knees, accompanied by his sharp green eyes, allowed for a feminine vulnerability that reminded her a bit of Eagle or even of Clef - but there was, she had to note, a sort of vengeful glint in his eyes, a malignance that she would have never had matched with the kind heart of neither Clef nor Eagle. Also, his clothing differed exceptionally from the primitive nature of the other's attire around him, donning a long white robe with several earrings of varying natures clipped to his ears, which definitely added to the aura of mystique and doubtless power.  
  
Ascot.  
  
Yeah.  
  
He looked kind of like Ascot. He was, in essence, what she imagined Ascot's big brother might look like, were Ascot to have a big brother.  
  
As Ferio was forced to kneel in front of the young man, the young man began to speak.  
  
"It seems that our company carries with us royalty, eh? Look as before you it is seen to be the Prince Ferio of Cephiro, brother of our fated beloved!"  
  
Fuu could not hide the evident surprise portrayed in her facial expression as the young man clearly and surely spoke these words, not even trying to hide the mocking tone, nor the tinge of - hatred? Fear gripped her stomach like a vice, and she began to form a plan.  
  
Ferio's face, which she could see all too well from this position, never wandered from its mask of controlled disinterest, while his eyes burned with an indescribable passion and mutual resentment.  
  
"Well Prince Ferio, behold! I am a royal as well! The royal prince of the Sheki tribe, the noble wanderers and plungers of this fair country."  
  
Ferio laughed.  
  
A hushed silence fell upon every one around, for while before a whispered conversation was perfectly all right, now the only acceptable thing was to direct attention to Ferio.  
  
"Yes. You're a very smart group of people, that's for sure. Hiding out in the Forest of Silence, where there's known to be no magic of any kind, and few can defend themselves. Do you know what would've happened if you had caught the Pillar? Why do you think the sky is an eternal black right now, because it's no mere tri - urgh."  
  
There was a forced grunt as the young man let out a kick that caught Ferio neatly in the side and sent him the ground. Fuu felt her fist unclenching and clenching again, her fear translating now into her own anger - goddammit, if only she had the capability of magic.  
  
"Of course," Ferio said on the ground after a moment, "Kick a man when he's down. Though it strikes me that the only power you people have is taking advantage of others' weaknesses."  
  
A smile, half-mocking but not quite a smirk, worked its way onto the man's seemingly gentle face. "That's a sorry opinion to have, my Prince."  
  
He turned from Ferio and waved over some of his fellow tribesmen, and within a moment was presented with two long swords, one of which he presented to Ferio, kneeling on the ground and holding it out to him. Ferio took it after a pause, a little confused, and then finally understanding when the young man jumped backwards with a spin in midair and landed in a fencing position. Having gotten the hint, Ferio, wincing a little because of his leg, got gingerly to his feet and took a slightly different position, but of fencing origin nonetheless. The silence that existed within the 'arena' and around it was to be seen, or rather heard, to be believed.  
  
Fuu, meanwhile, watched with extraordinary interest, her gaze not about to be swayed for anything or anybody.  
  
"Never mistake me for a coward," the young man said, "Did you know, Prince, that you seriously injured an uncle of mine when you were fighting back there and trying to get your friends out?"  
  
Ferio kept silent.  
  
"Or did you know that I lost two brothers to the upheaval caused when your sister had an identity crisis? That was what it was, right? Why else would she plunge Cephiro into such chaos?"  
  
A long moment of tense silence then passed, Ferio not even bothering to hide the scowl that crept over his expression.  
  
"Nobody understands what happened," Ferio said then through clenched teeth, except that Fuu understand it as she stood there listening and watching with an anxious heart, "So stop talking and fight, if that's what you're going to do!" And he positioned his sword in a stab-like manner without even a trace of a wince, though waiting still for the young man to make the first move.  
  
The young man did, choosing aggressive over defense, charging forward with a sort of poised grace that befalls only the most experienced in this particular form of combat.  
  
"STOP IT, NORI!"  
  
The next few moments passed in a blur for the audience of Fuu, and the only thing she was sure of when it was all said and done was that the young man, having been called Nori by the sudden attacker, had been struck to the ground, and that Ascot stood over him, breathing hard with the effort that had helped him strike the blow. Ferio stood a yard or so away, untouched and just as shocked as Fuu was, and, it seemed, the whole crowd of villagers, who had started to mumble among themselves and exchange glances of mutual surprise.  
  
  
  
Ascot, standing over his older brother Nori on the ground, drew out a few laborious breaths, his mind spinning and his heart aching.  
  
"Ferio, Nori, " He said, after a moment's pause, "You couldn't possibly know that this man was Ferio. Who told you?"  
  
Nori winced, pushing himself up on his one arm; his sharp eyes having lost their piercing glint in place of a wondering gaze that dwelled on his supposedly long lost brother. "Ascot. Ascot, is it really you? You've....grown." Any trace of the malignance had seemingly left.  
  
Ascot, however, couldn't look his brother in the face. It hadn't been his intention to ever come back here. So he allowed his own gaze to travel to the very confused Prince, who merely stared on at the two of them. "Where's Umi?" He asked while he looked on at Ferio, though it was obvious his words were intended for Nori.  
  
Behind him, Nori grunted a little as he got to his feet, holding the arm that had been somewhat cut. "Umi?"  
  
"She'd be the one you captured with the long blue hair and blue eyes."  
  
"We capture a lot of people, little brother."  
  
"Dammit, Nori!" And Nori soon had a blade at his throat, though this one was different than the one he had used to sever the fight between Ferio and Nori, both in lightness and the fact that it was noticeably stained with blood. "This sword is hers, and as you can see, blood is on it."  
  
Nori smiled, despite the fact that he was currently under his brother's mercy. "So you found a woman."  
  
Ascot said nothing, steady hold on the sword and steady gaze on his brother.  
  
Then Nori did the one thing that Ascot couldn't possibly defend himself against, as it is something every citizen of the human race longs for and often does not get, a simple yet vital form of love - Nori reached out and before Ascot could react, swung his arm around his little brother and pulled him in for a hug. That was it; the coldness Ascot had been professing to so easily have towards his brother gave way to the truth, which was that, despite the past, Ascot still loved his brother as brothers should, and he'd missed his brother, as brother's, after a long distance of miles and time, should. The warmth that cascaded over him, his brother's definite existence being proved, Ascot allowed Umi's sword to fall to the ground and even hugged back a little.  
  
"I've missed you, little brother. Despite past affairs, I love you and I've always loved you. That's the only good big brothers are for sometimes. But that's why - "  
  
"Nori, what're you -"  
  
" - I cannot allow you to - "  
  
"Wha - "  
  
" - get in my way."  
  
"Ascot, look out!"  
  
And Ascot was forced to send a kick to his brother's groin and jump backwards, not knowing it in the blur of activity and jumbled voices, but just barely dodging a sword stab his brother had been busy positioning during all his talk of brotherly love.  
  
He hadn't changed a bit.  
  
"Are you alright, Ascot?" Asked Lantis as he appeared by Ascot's side.  
  
Ascot nodded quietly, looking up to the taller man. "You took long enough."  
  
"You were hard to follow."  
  
"Quite a brother you have." Said Ferio coming up on the other side of Ascot. "And quite a rescue." The prince nodded to Lantis.  
  
"Where's Eagle?" Ascot asked, watching Nori as his brother got to his feet after recovering from the kick to the groin and, holding both his own sword and Umi's now, faced the three of them in a fighting position, still cocky in despite of the fact that he could never face off with the three of them and even have a ghost of a chance of winning.  
  
Lantis nodded backwards, so Ascot chanced a glance there, to see that Fuu, who he hadn't noticed before, was now standing over a trio of unconscious guards and Eagle seemed to be helping her untie a rope around her wrists. But even though he saw Fuu, he could not find Umi for all the looking he then did.  
  
"The one that you described, with the light features, was a very pretty one. Yes?" Nori's voice attracted Ascot back to the main thrall of the activity. Nori shrugged almost lazily, a smirk befalling his handsome features. "Donpa made a request. You know I never refuse him."  
  
"Donpa?" Questioned Ferio.  
  
Damn.  
  
"Donpa the..Donpa the bastard." Ascot shot a meaningful glance at both Ferio and Lantis. "I've got to go. You get out of here. I'll meet you back at the castle."  
  
"What about -" Began Ferio, but stopped, as Ascot had already left, taking a gigantic bound over the crowds and disappearing into the distance.  
  
  
  
Donpa the bastard.  
  
His deserved nickname described him so absolutely that, in this situation, Ascot's worry and anger reached an uncontrollable peak. If Donpa had lived up to his name this time with Umi, Ascot promised himself, as he walked up the steps to the man's forest 'mansion' - if Donpa had, he would no less than kill the man. In all honesty, it was a sort of mansion, for instead of being made out of sticks and straw like the rest of the villagers, Donpa's living quarters had been situated about a mile or so away from the rest of the throng of housing, and was a sturdy cabin to boot, the architectural design reminding him immensely of Presea's place. Ascot couldn't really remember why Donpa got such special treatment from the village, but he was sure there was some long story to tell about it, the details of which he didn't really care for.  
  
Donpa always left the door unlocked, so it was a simple matter of opening the door and running down the long hallway that met him then, checking each room to see if the denizens of it were Donpa or Umi or both.  
  
It didn't surprise him, but it did horrify him, when he found Umi in the bedroom.  
  
She was on the bed in her ordinary 'school' garb (he wasn't sure what a school was but the three Magic Knights talked of it often) her gaze downcast onto the bedding.  
  
"Umi! Umi," He yelled out, making his presence known from where he was in the room's threshold, "Are you still a virgin?"  
  
She looked up, and chuckled, one of those beautiful smiles of hers breaking over her face, reminding him of how the sun breaks over the horizon at the arrival of a new day. Since the sky was such an absolute black now and everything, that sort of smile was worth its weight in gold, and so much more.  
  
"That," She said, smiling still, "Is a very unique entrance to make, after all this time."  
  
"So he didn't touch you?" Ascot asked earnestly, walking to her on the bed and sitting next to her.  
  
She pointed.  
  
Donpa, the large man he was, was tied up in a corner with a gag in his mouth. He made a few piggish squeals as he recognized Ascot, for during Ascot's childhood the summoner had been a frequent visitor, because Ascot had a penchant for throwing rocks at things in that day and age, and the windows of this place had often played as victims.  
  
"Aw shut up or I'll cut it off. No Ascot, no, he didn't. He's such a disappointing fighter too. Shows what you get when you mess with a Magic Knight! Ascot? Ascot, what's wrong?" And her gaze went back to him as she noticed that he had went unnervingly silent.  
  
That thought he had had before, when he hadn't known what was going to happen to her, or what had happened to her:  
  
I'm not losing you now, Umi. I have to at least tell you how I feel; I'm just that selfish.  
  
"Umi, I." Nervously he clutched at her fingers, her touch delighting him in a way he couldn't really describe with any usage of the human language, "Back there, when I wasn't sure what had happened to you, if you were alive or dead, harmed or unharmed..I just remember thinking to myself that.."  
  
"Do you remember the time we kissed on the hill?" She asked, interrupting him unexpectedly, although he supposed it wasn't really an interruption because his words had trailed off and his thoughts had become so jumbled he didn't know what to do with himself.  
  
He nodded weakly. "That was such a happy time."  
  
She seemed about to say something, but then stopped herself. Finally, he spoke, in essence speaking for her, not understanding totally his words or why he said them, other then they clamored to be said somewhere in the pit of his stomach and then spread from there, coming to a climax in his chest where his heart was, and then bursting forth in quiet, steady vocalism.  
  
"Promise me this. Promise me that you'll let me protect you."  
  
It took a moment for him to realize that she was crying. He winced, wondering if he had said something wrong, but when he opened her mouth to question her she stopped him with a shake of her head, looking down at the bedding.  
  
"God, Ascot, there are several things in this world that a man can say to a woman and have it be wonderful - then there are a couple things that are just the most romantic thing you can ever possibly say, and..."  
  
He blinked. She raised her head; obvious tears were trailing down her pretty face. "So I guess all I can say is, what I mean is.. I promise, if only you'll let me do the same for you, and we can protect each other."  
  
  
  
  
  
Authoresses Last Word: Details on Ascot and Nori's relationship to be elaborated on next chapter, which can be expected in the course of a week. 


	7. A Moment In A Bottle

Authoresses Note: I am so lucky to have such a supportive and faithful audience that gives me such praise beyond deserve! Please guys, don't stop sending me those good words my way if they're your honest opinion, because you have no idea what such a complete high it is to feel like you're really good at your 'passion', which is exactly how I feel whenever you guys review this fic. And it especially feels great when you get repeat reviewers, because it means somebody cares enough about this fic to stick with it for the - four? five? - months it's been up. I am so glad to have not met any Simon Cowells on ff.net - who should shut up because he has no actual talent himself anyway besides crushing people's dreams, which is something any loser can do! All I know is if I somebody told me that my writing lacked that special 'it' and would never make it in the mainstream I don't know what I would do with myself....yeah, he stinks. Enjoy part seven of my ficcy!  
  
***Part Seven of Forbidden: A Moment In A Bottle ***  
  
"Who are you?" Lafarga demanded. Miles away from the spot where the two brothers Ascot and Nori battled it out with Prince Ferio and Magic Knight Fuu as an audience, and totally unknowing of these events, Lafarga stood, with a woman before him with a mind for names she had no business knowing.  
  
He had his sword drawn out within a fraction of a moment, taking a defensive position. Any fatigue left over from his tiring work of carrying the other snoozing three had been forgotten in the midst of a warrior's apprehension for possible battle. Though he wasn't sure whether she was just an ordinary elder woman that happened to have extraordinary knowledge, or something on the more dangerous scale of enchantress or demon, the latter was a chance he was not willing to take and he thusly refused to let his guard down just because of her innocent (and ugly) looks. Plus, besides the fact that the Pillar Hikaru was a good friend, her strategic importance in this strange time had not been lost on him.  
  
The old woman had allowed a smile that bordered on a smug smirk to spread across her craggy expression, stepping forward with a grace that contradicted her peasant clothes. "Lafarga, correct? It's good you should be so careful when dealing with the Pillar.' She'd paused. "Was it Clef that sent you to hunt for the Library?"  
  
If the woman's naming of Clef had been meant to soothe Lafarga and promote a friendly image of her own persona, it failed drastically. The untrusting glint in Lafarga's eyes brightened and the grip on his sword tightened. "I warn you not to come a step closer."  
  
"No, Lafarga."  
  
Lafarga had not even noticed the lightened load upon his back, but there Hikaru was, moving so fast it caught both he and the woman by surprise, as she left his back and stood before the woman with such quiet study that Lafarga felt as if before him was a very different Hikaru then the one he was used to. He made no further move and merely watched, but his heart eased a little because he so trusted Hikaru's judgment. Comically, her upheaval had caused both Zazu and Gardina to fall to the ground softly, where they lay, snoozing gently away in the stupor of sleep that was very contradictory to the tenseness just a few feet away.  
  
"The Pillar," The woman more breathed the words than spoke them.  
  
Hikaru nodded slowly. "You said you know Clef?"  
  
"Oh, all great sorcerers must have great teachers, you know." The woman looked Lafarga in the eye over Hikaru's shoulder, carefully turning her attention from the Pillar. "Clef was your teacher, correct Lafarga? You should understand such relationships."  
  
Lafarga said nothing. Hikaru looked backwards at him and they exchanged glances, Hikaru finally then returning her gaze to the woman. "Do you know the way to the Celes Library?"  
  
A nod from the old woman had signified Hikaru's correctness in that subtle accusation.  
  
And then, to Lafarga and the old woman's surprise both, Hikaru lost her expression of quiet study and absolute seriousness, bursting into an impromptu smile that encompassed the entire length of her face and was, actually, a wonderful offspring of the strong heart that had been Hikaru's deciding factor in her battle for the role of Pillar. "Then, Miss - I'm sorry, what's your name? - would you please take us there, because as the former teacher of Clef you ought to know he wanted us to go there. And we're hopelessly lost, so we could use the help."  
  
The woman had swept Hikaru another curtsy, smiled, and said enchantingly, "Refer to me as Madame Hugo, please, your Majesty. Of course I shall."  
  
Thus they allowed Madame Hugo to lead them on.  
  
It would be miles and hours before they would reach the towering feat of architecture that was the Celes Library, but the journey was entirely worth it. Meanwhile, the small group of Ferio, Fuu, Lantis and Eagle left the village without much ado (Nori felt no need to fight four skilled warriors, and without Nori's will or command the villagers did nothing), and arrived back fairly soon at the castle where Geo watched over the sleeping Clef and Presea. All that was left was for Umi and Ascot to arrive, for they did have a considerably longer distance to cross thanks to the distraction at Donpa's, and then they would try to put together the pieces of this mysterious puzzle.  
  
  
  
Their first steps leaving the Forest of Silence behind was wonderful, like a weight was starting to elevate from their tired, aching backs. By a few yards the change was noticeable in how their eyes, previously teeming of subtle sadness, now brimmed with subtle joy.  
  
"We did it," Ascot sighed the words, reaching up a hand to rub his aching temple, stopping where he was in the knee-high grass and sending the Forest behind a glance that was more like a glare than anything else, "It was even darker there than out here."  
  
Umi nodded as she came up shoulder-to-shoulder with him. "The trees cast shadows." She scowled. "And I was so defenseless in there, not being able to summon Celes or anything! Those stupid Sheki, I almost wish I had them out here so I could fight 'em fair and square!"  
  
Ascot said nothing, his expression uncharacteristically turning solemn.  
  
For a moment he merely stared at the Forest behind him, as if the ghosts of his past left there would come screeching after him. Umi, totally unaware that Ascot even had ghosts of his past, frowned at his sudden lapse, and, wanting to bring him back to the smiling self that she was falling love with, did the one thing that she knew would without a doubt get his attention - she reached up and grabbed his hat, ducking his grasp as his instant response was to try and grab it back, running ahead and then stopping suddenly, waving it tauntingly in front of him.  
  
Grinning sheepishly and blushing a deep red, Ascot uncomfortably felt the tuft of reddish hair that was left exposed. "Umi - "  
  
"Umi nothing! If you want it back, you're going to have to get it back!"  
  
Both of them felt the sort of dizzy relief that comes from overcoming a great obstacle, but neither could they elude the anxious apprehension of more obstacles to come, some of which they could not deny may be ever greater and more horrible than their last. That feeling of confusion had been from what Ascot's words of 'Let me protect you' had, in essence, stemmed from - it was that feeling of self-determination to not be helpless that had inspired Umi's retort of, 'Only if you promise to let me protect you too, and we can protect each other'. They made that promise a million times that day, in the seemingly endless meadow that lay between the Forest and the castle, a million times without vocalization, as inexplicable as the eternal night that blanketed the sky but much more pleasant and treasured and important.  
  
So he gave chase through the expanse of endless grass and was, in the end, ultimately faster than her, knocking her down carefully and making a grab at it on the ground. She whisked it away and a sort of impromptu wrestling match ensued.  
  
Again, the end result had Ascot lying on top of Umi. Again, caught in the frenzy of the moment and the absolute beauty that lay under him on the grass, her with her lovely eyes looking into his own, her with her long hair sprawled on the grass around her head like a crown - he lent down and kissed her on the lips, and this time did not discontinue it for any shady insecurity of the mind.  
  
She kissed back, and when they parted from that one they lapsed into another, Umi moving her torso up against his, the distinct curves of their bodies fitting perfectly together, the closeness sending a surge of inexplicable yet vital joy - this moment was precious, it could never be repeated, so it was a horrible crime, a horrible crime and sin that it wasn't possible to just catch it forever, catch it up in a bottle - Ascot cupped the back of Umi's neck in his hands, massaging the pearly smoothness of her skin, gave her a last kiss, and then sat up again.  
  
"I don't want to make you uncomfortable," He said, studying her for her reaction.  
  
She blinked. And then broke out into a smile. "No, it's okay. I mean, I don't really want to go any further." There was a little nervous chuckle. "I'm still a student. But here, you can lie down here. Beside me. Let's just rest for a moment, okay? Together."  
  
Not even noticing that she still held the hat in her hands, Ascot obliged, and the two of them lay side by side hand in hand, gazing up quietly at the sky that reeked of night even though it may have very well been mid-day.  
  
Umi rolled over onto her side and lay her head down on his chest, using it for a pillow, as it was much more comfortable than the spiky grass. "Hey, Ascot?"  
  
"Hey."  
  
"I've got a question."  
  
Questions, questions. Life stunk of questions and lacked answers. "Okay."  
  
"How'd you do it?"  
  
"Do what?"  
  
I could answer so many different things to that, Umi realized. "How'd you find those stupid Sheki's?"  
  
For some reason, Ascot went quiet and sullen again, falling into such a lapse that Umi was disturbed and worried. "I know the area well." He answered flatly.  
  
"There you go again."  
  
"Go what?"  
  
The grass stirred gently as she sat up, sending him a studying look downwards. "Something's bothering you. Alcione didn't hurt you more than we know, did she?"  
  
Ascot chuckled. "She wishes she could. No, I'm fine. Just thinking."  
  
"That's what's different about you." Her teasing choice of vocabulary undermined her serious tone and expression. "All that thinking."  
  
"Umi, why do you think the Sheki grabbed you, Ferio, and all the rest? What were they aiming for? The Pillar, right?"  
  
She shrugged carelessly, which was an ironic gesture since she cared about everything at that very moment. "I'm not a Sheki. Go ask one."  
  
He snorted. "Yeah. Sure. And then he'd stab me in the back."  
  
"What?"  
  
"My brother."  
  
Shock was in so much pure absolution right then that Umi, for once, didn't have a single retort for Ascot as he clarified that yes, he had a brother. Ascot was Sheki, Palu Sheki. He had a brother that was a Palu Sheki named Nori, and Nori. "He's sort of drastic," Ascot said for a description.  
  
"So that's what's bothering you. God, I never even thought that you might have a brother. I guess 'cause I'm an only child I sometimes feel like everyone's like me. I should know from Hikaru and Fuu's experience though. So, did you work things out with him?"  
  
Ascot couldn't resist the smirk that was the offspring of knowledge that spread across his face. "You don't really work things out with Nori, Umi. He always has this urge to control everything around him."  
  
She frowned and crossed her arms, annoyance at the complicated emotions that fate always transpired to haunt the ones she cared about. "But surely he doesn't want Cephiro's destruction!"  
  
"I don't know -what- the hell it is he wants."  
  
"Oh. Been away from him that long, huh?" Pity showed in Umi's expression.  
  
The pain of memories and ghosts reborn hurt, so Ascot closed his eyes in a futile effort to escape as much as he could from the world around him. Hard thought showed in the furrowing of his brow. "No. I guess I do know. Though I have no clue what that has to do with the Pillar."  
  
Umi's immediate reply mirrored truth. "Everything has to do with the Pillar."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
A pause. Then, "I guess he wants war."  
  
"War? With the Pillar? Why?"  
  
"Not the Pillar. War with the Jova Tribe."  
  
"Another tribe?"  
  
  
  
'Nori! Nori, wait up! Where are you going?'  
  
'Out.'  
  
'Out where?'  
  
'Do you ever stop with the senseless questions, Ascot?'  
  
'No.'  
  
'......'  
  
'Is something wrong? Heeeeelllllooooo???? Are you listening to me? WAKE UP!'  
  
'Ascot. Just wait a second.'  
  
'Why? It's boring.'  
  
'The Pillar's abandoned us. You should show more care.'  
  
'Nori......are you crying? What's wrong? Say, where's Miiko?'  
  
'........'  
  
'Ascot, do you know what happens when the Pillar abandons her people?'  
  
'Uh.......'  
  
'It's called war.'  
  
'War?'  
  
'Yes. War is a very sad thing, Ascot. We lost Miiko to war.'  
  
  
  
Umi stood slowly, raising her blue eyes to the blackened heavens. A quiet breeze passed through, whisking her long hair into a face for a moment, and then correcting the problem as another thrall of wind came through. "I see. When the Pillar, who prays for abundance and peace in Cephiro is no longer able to continue her duty, and when things become imperfect and there is no absolute happiness, people return to wars and fighting over things. Right?"  
  
Ascot nodded. "Miiko was our sister. I was very young at the time so it was easier for me. But for Nori...... Miiko was his twin sister. It was not so easy for him." A sigh. "He'll try to take advantage of people's torn hearts and direct the Sheki's aggravation at the Jova tribe that killed her. He is........very vengeful."  
  
Silence existed through the peaceful stretch of meadow. Then, "Ascot, do you know where this Jova tribe is?"  
  
Ascot blinked. "Ummmmmm....... Yeah."  
  
She turned to face him quickly, almost startlingly so, her hair and her skirt swaying with her. "Take me there."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Take me there. We have to talk this out with them."  
  
Ascot's surprise translated into a very blank and confused look that he gave Umi.  
  
"Look, for you, war is rare. But on Earth - in my world - there are always wars going on, and there are always people like Miiko. We can't," She sighed and took a deep breath, "Miiko will be the last, if I have anything to say about it. And trust me, I intend to say a lot to these Jova folk."  
  
He did trust her. And it was because he trusted her and her intent that he obliged.  
  
  
  
Civil war had racked Eagle's country for two years nearly four decades ago. The history of Autozam's poisoned land, however, was the farthest thing from mind as he roamed the halls of Cephiro's palace. No, his mind dwelt primarily on the history of Cephiro, the country of the Pillar and the country that was Lantis' origination. Watching the drama that unfolded with the denizens of this strange yet wonderful land during that last odd adventure had been - a learning experience, if anything.  
  
He'd seen Clef in the pain of complicated magic and understood his even more complicated relationship with the artisan Presea. He'd watched as Ferio had challenged the Sheki tribesmen known as Nori, Nori's crack about his sister's 'psychotic episode' infuriating him on. He'd then learned that Nori and Ascot shared a bond of blood, as physical appearance and attire had hinted, and learned that it was more than not a relationship of bad blood as well.  
  
And after all that, the only thing he could think was that he wanted to see Lantis, now that it had passed and they could breathe a sigh of relief, even if it was questionable whether or not this was the calm after the storm or before the storm. So he searched, but the intricate weaving of halls inside the palace only proved confusing. Instead of finding Lantis' company, he found Geo as his cheerful comrade suddenly left a room a few doors down from himself.  
  
"'Lo Eagle! Clef's in there. Presea just woke up and I was showing her where he was. What happened anyway, that they both got so wiped like that?"  
  
"Oh, hey Geo. I'm not totally sure. Ferio or Fuu might know."  
  
Geo blinked at this. "Eh, okay. Well, things were mostly boring here."  
  
Eagle smiled; boring was good. He vocalized this. "And I'm thankful."  
  
"Except......"  
  
"Except?"  
  
Eagle had continued walking straight, but he now stopped before Geo, raising an eyebrow to demonstrate his confusion to the inclusion of 'except'. Geo merely offered him a thoughtful frown, nervously combing his hands through his spiky hair. "I'm not sure if this is really the place or the time, Eagle. It's kind of private for you."  
  
"But you know it."  
  
"It's private for Autozam foreigners." A nervous chuckle. "Zazu's missing out. Man, I hope that little fella's okay. You know how he is."  
  
An attempt to divert the conversation? "Yeah. So when will I see this private information?"  
  
"Hmm." The frown on Geo's expression held more of a thoughtful, whimsical air than ever. "I'm going to probably drop by later tonight. Or morning. I'm going to have to take a look at Fuu's watch-thing-a-mig-jig 'cause I don't know what the hell time it is, heh. Is that alright?"  
  
It was.  
  
"So where you going anyway?"  
  
"I'm not sure. Do you know where Lantis is?"  
  
For the slightest fraction of a moment, Geo's expression contained an inexplicable emotion, a fleeting thing that, despite Eagle's years with the man, he could not decode and partially did not want to decode. Then it passed, and Geo answered cheerfully, "Yeah, I think I saw him in his brother's room."  
  
The meaning in the fact that it was his brother's room and nowhere else was not lost on either of them, so Geo let Eagle go without a word, except maybe urging him on. Eagle thought he heard Geo say something like, "He needs you even if he won't admit it," but he wasn't sure about it.  
  
  
  
  
  
When Eagle got there, Lantis sat in his brother's room on his brother's bed holding a sword of his brothers. That irony did not escape Eagle, but neither did he feel that Lantis was mourning - Lantis, he felt, had done that before and had gotten all of it out that he would ever let another human see. No, this time it was more of a whimsical wondering look that befell Lantis' expression and demeanor.  
  
Lantis looked up as Eagle's footsteps gave away his entrance. Eagle offered him a gentle smile, and, without a word spoken between them because this was just one of those moments when speaking is one of the silliest and most trivial things in the world, took a seat on the bed by Lantis.  
  
"Your brother was good at sword-play?"  
  
Lantis chuckled. It was a rare thing, but always beautiful and important when it happened. "No. My brother was actually very prone to clumsiness that doesn't work with swords. That's the part no one ever saw, his clumsiness, because he seemed so poised in stature."  
  
Eagle met the story with a smile. "But he had swords. This is one, right?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
It was definitely a sword of superior make, Eagle decided as he studied it further. Black on the hilt - a little odd, because as Priest Zagato Eagle had always thought his garb to be white (Eagle had always thought wrong about that but this didn't trivialize his subtle surprise any less) - and with quite the fang to accompany it, it was not to be mistaken for anything less than noble.  
  
"Presea made it." Lantis continued. "And Clef charmed it."  
  
"Charmed it?"  
  
"Yes, a very peculiar but very important charm for a Head Priest to have."  
  
As Lantis offered it to him, Eagle took it, admiring how lightweight it was. He fingered the hilt and gave the blade a little swish through the air, careful about Lantis head as he did it. "Being?"  
  
"It glows when the Pillar is in trouble."  
  
Sometimes very ironic things happen.  
  
Like right then, as Eagle held the sword out to Lantis for him to take back.  
  
There was a strange little humming sound, and the metal crisped into a golden glow. 


	8. This Once Barren Landscape

Authoresses' Note: 

Wow. Long time, ne? I apologize, and I can't even blame a sufficiently busy schedule. All right, I haven't been loafing around either, so be content with that. Mostly it's writer's block. You work too much on the one thing and then you get so sick of the one thing when time comes around to continue and get off your lazy butt it's the hardest thing to do in the world. But I feel inspired!! So the result is a part eight of Forbidden. Drum roll, please. One last thing to note - my writing style has changed, mostly because a whole lot of time has passed and I wasn't just sitting there idle the whole time feeling sad about how I wasn't continuing my MKR Forbidden story...I wrote other stories and the experience has made a difference (at least I think so) Okay. Me shut up now. Read!! Review, so that I know what to change or what to do or whatever! *Those words are supposed to appear in Italics, being Eagle's thoughts, but it might not come out that way once posted on the site.  
  


  
***Part Eight of Forbidden: This Once Barren Landscape***  
  
  


It was starting to get sufficiently depressing, this eternal black sky that Fuu could not escape. Throughout all the events that had transpired it had stubbornly hung there, deftly refusing to move and provide even the slightest break from the turmoil. Things were bleak enough without it's intervention, but Fuu also supposed this was just another of those things that she couldn't control or do anything significant enough to merit change. It was a list that was continuing to grow at a concerning rate, but she also supposed quite logically that there would always be problems like these such in life, and getting derided by the facts of their existence surely didn't aid a journey to the quickest solution.  
  
She turned away from the window through which she had been viewing this spectacle of a sky, her gaze falling immediately on Ferio. He was amusing. She giggled privately to herself - yes, this inside joke was a keeper. The valiant knight and part-time prince was not so noble in his sleep, at least not with his mouth wide open and his legs sprawled all over the place (they had been sleeping in separate beds, of course, as would dictate two such honorable characters). Rest seemed well suited for Ferio after his duel with Ascot's strange brother than for Fuu, whose mind's new doubts plagued her incessantly.  
  
She was not able to spend much time reminiscing before she heard a strange sound down from the garden below. Such were the circumstances that after the strenuous last few days; she looked back to the garden in what was definitely a suspicious mindset.  
  
There was something down there - she was sure of it. At this stage, taking chances was a mode of action only requested by the foolish. Picking up Ferio's sword from by his bedside, and hoping dearly that he would not miss it, she had picked her method of exit within an instant. It was the window, however admittedly bizarre a decision that may seem, it was actually most practical, seeing that the room was on the ground floor.  
  
Things went from bad to worse when she made her move. The second she landed she had lost sight of the suspect, lost to the disorienting dark. Also, this person was good. She could not make out even the slightest indication of movement. She didn't dare doubt her earlier suspicions either, however, for she had to entrust absolute faith in her abilities as a Knight.  
  
Suddenly, it happened - a sword was at her throat and Fuu's mind raced, wondering if she was to fall victim to another of Alcione's calculating plots. Not about to go down without a fight, she elbowed her captor and whirled out of the embrace, sword moving with her to clash against the enemy's steel.  
  
It was then that she was able to see her enemy's face. Out of sheer surprise, she dropped her sword to the ground, where it rotated on impact and then lay very still, utterly useless.  
  
"You - scared - me!" Said an infuriated Umi. "What're you doing out here at this time of night?" Umi had also dropped her sword; the fellow comrades were not about to go raising their arms against each other anytime soon.  
  
"I could ask the same of you." Pointed Fuu out calmly in a matter-of-fact tone, betraying the fear that had been so evident before. "You know Umi, this isn't really a good time for anyone to go wandering around alone. It would be bad to lose you."  
  
"I needed time to think. But you're right - it was dumb of me."  
  
Fuu smiled reassuringly, taking her friend's hand. "Never mind...you need the privacy. Things have been very stressful. But where's Ascot?"  
  
"Actually, we got back hours ago." Umi's expression, which had changed from irritated, suddenly was cast over with an inexplicable dark. She turned away from Fuu for the briefest of moments, but Fuu understood that it was a rare sign of weakness that Umi allowed, communicating that something was wrong and that Umi wasn't quite sure how to go about dealing with it. "Everyone seemed to be sleeping, or at least you and Ferio were, so Ascot decided we should also get our rest. But I couldn't sleep, so I took a little stroll, just thinking, you know."  
  
"Worried that if you closed your eyes he would disappear?"  
  
Umi looked back at Fuu very quickly, even suspiciously. Fuu was a strange creature, she decided, altogether loveable but also surprising. The way she acted a lot of the time, you wouldn't think that she necessarily suffered the same emotional implications as everyone else. In her own cheerful fashion, she was aloof; it was as if nothing bothered her, or at least very little.  
  
Then, she was back to the same old Fuu. It was hard to figure out whether this was good or bad, but right now Umi would rather have the logical impassiveness than anything - she supplied herself with enough of the melodrama by her own lonesome, thank you very much. "It's not an illogical fear. After all, it already happened once, and it's certainly possible for it happen again."  
  
"You're always so inspiring, Fuu."  
  
But Fuu was not finished with her vote of confidence. "Something else is bothering you. Would you like to talk about it? You should really get anything you're concerned with handled now, you know." She was thinking strategically again. "That way we can minimize our problems so that when real conflict comes things are handed as efficiently as possible."  
  
  


"I'm fine." Said Umi huffily, that fiery defiance more characteristic of her coming into play once more. Then, a wavering, something in her eyes that betrayed that particular notion. "Okay, fine, but not out here."  
  
"All right, that's perfect. We can even get some hot chocolate from the cook."  
  
"Oh, man." Umi let out a long sigh, evidently not very pleased with what she was about to say, or ask, or whatever it was. "I don't know what I'm doing, Fuu, I'm just all mixed up." She lifted her hot chocolate up to her lips, sipped, and sighed again. "I've just been thinking and thinking and I can't stop, you know?............Well, I suppose you don't, but I just - Fuu, you've got a sister, right?"  
  
It was this complicated statement that introduced Fuu to Umi's problem. They were now sitting in one of the larger halls, on two very grand, eccentric-looking chairs, hoping dearly it would grant them some degree of privacy, even if only for a short while. Fuu drank a little of her own hot chocolate, raising her eyes to the ceiling in quiet whimsy, her head rested on the comfortable behind her. "Yes, an older sister."  
  
"And you love her?"  
  
Fuu raised an eyebrow. This was a strange question. "Yes."  
  
This induced Umi to a long period of silence, during which she seemed to be thinking very hard about something. Unfortunately, it seemed that any definite decision was evading her. "I'm not sure what it would be like. I've always been an only child." She contemplated the rim of her mug, as if this would grant her the final clue to her dilemma.  
  
"If you were wondering how I would feel were she to leave me, I would be devastated. The bond between siblings is great, Umi, it really is - somehow, you go through life thinking that the person will always be there. Friends will leave, parents will even leave - but chances are you will always have that person until the very end of your days. Not forever, I suppose, but longer than anyone else..............I love her. There are so many people I love, but only certain people I depend on, people that I need."  
  
Umi looked up in gentle disquiet at Fuu's stirring statement. Then, timidly, she inquired, "And your sister is one of those people?" This caused Fuu to be quiet for a very long time. When she finally met Umi's gaze, her eyes shone with sadness. "I feel very bad for Ascot, Umi. I don't know that much about his situation but I saw his conversation with his brother. ...............It would be like losing you, Umi. I don't ever want to lose you or Hikaru."  
  
Umi smiled warmly. Talking did indeed help, even if it didn't get you your answer. "Yes. Hikaru is our little sister, after all."  
  
"That is..............unsettling." Eagle had dropped the sword out of surprise at its sudden activity, and Lantis stooped to pick it up. As he did so the object's humming gently ceased, and the glow clicked off as if commanded. "Have we overcome one problem just to deal with another?"  
  
  


Lantis surveyed it in his normal calm manner, but when he spoke it was with an underlying tone of alarm in his voice. "Hikaru is a target. We learned that much from Alcione." He put it back within its sheath, and then let it fall haphazardly on the bed - he seemed very tired, Eagle noted, and rightfully so.  
  
Having experienced loss, and then working tirelessly to make sure that the new people in his life never fell to such a fate again - it was too much responsibility, and yet he bore it without complaint. It was that strength that Eagle desired. Mokona had decided that Eagle had been pure and strong of heart, enough to be a candidate for Pillar, but that strength had been the offspring of desperation. It was entirely different, and although Eagle wasn't sure how, he wanted what Lantis had, as much as he wanted Lantis.  
  
Eagle laid what he hoped was a reassuring hand on Lantis' arm. "The question is - if I'm correct, of course - what do we do with this information?"  
  
"You are always correct in these matters, Eagle." The distant closed between the two, and with definite affection Lantis put some of Eagle's fine hair between his fingers. "Thank you."  
  
No elaboration was needed on Lantis' 'thank you', but Eagle also felt for a moment that the thanks was unwelcome, unnecessary. The roles should have been reversed. He put no voice to this particular muse however, something else altogether invading his thoughts.  
  
"Oh - Geo!"  
  
"What?" Lantis took a step back, a murmur of surprise evident in Eagle's sudden outburst.  
  
Eagle was vibrant; anxious suddenly at some injustice he'd done their friend Geo. "I stood him up, he asked me to meet him in the control room in two hours!"  
  
"Then you have two hours, right?" Lantis paused, another thought striking him. "We have a control room?" It was an attempt to soothe Eagle's worry with logic, but it was to no avail. "No, that was three hours ago, I'm sure of it! He said it was private and important.............." And with that, Eagle was gone, a distant apology of abandonment the only remainder as he raced out of the room and down the hall.  
  
Lantis was very perplexed. If Hikaru or Clef had been there they would've cheerfully explained that Hikaru had wished up a control room for Geo, whose very psyche was destroyed without some high-tech gadget, and since he intended to stay for a long time, everyone had decided that it was necessary for his (and everyone else's) survival that he have such a place to entertain himself. Mostly, however, it was useless. All he could really do was monitor the status of the other worlds (besides Earth, which was not on radar and seemed more a fairytale than anything else to Autozam's native Geo) and receive incoming calls from those different countries. It seemed a relatively useless mechanism, devised only because of Geo's stubborn insistence that every world needed such devices.  
  
  


It was also Geo's stubbornness that kept him waiting for Eagle even after all logic should've dictated that his arrival may be nonexistent. Fortunately for him, stubbornness and uncanny intuition work together, and Eagle did arrive, even if he was an hour late. Geo was not too crestfallen. He'd been too busy looking over the details of what he intended to show Eagle, so in all honesty he hadn't even dwelled momentarily on the fact that Eagle was late.  
  
So, he was a little confused when Eagle arrived in quite a state, bumbling through rushed apology after apology. Geo swiveled in his chair to face him, patiently waiting for a break in the talk. "What're you apologizing for?" He asked when the opportunity arose.  
  
"I'm late." Explained Eagle, somewhat indignantly. "At least an hour - maybe even two hours."  
  
"Oh, okay, yeah. That's true. You're horrible Eagle, tell me, how do I put up with you?"  
  
"I'm your commanding officer. It's your job." Eagle took a seat next to Geo, his gaze sweeping over the various panels, screens, buttons, and keyboards that doubtlessly meant something to Geo. It was too much like being back in Autozam than Eagle really thought comfortable.  
  
"True, that. Or you were. No interest in returning?"  
  
His expression went suddenly cold, the way it always did when Geo even hinted at the subject. For some reason, he was really touchy about that. "Minimal. We've determined that." Then the coldness was gone, to where Geo was not certain. Instead there was a fleeting fear, an unsureness that worried Geo even more than any momentary coldness. Eagle spent his life being cold when need be; it was any other emotion besides happiness that was strange and worrisome. "Geo, I don't want to be selfish..............if you miss Autozam, you -"  
  
"Don't even say that." Geo leaned forward, making sure his eyes directly connected with Eagle's own calm, blue-eyed gaze. "I would sooner die than leave you. I've determined that."  
  
Vague comprehension finally entered the mental wandering's of Eagle of Autozam, and it made his eyes go all the wider, although Geo would not have noticed it.  
  
*Geo, you still - after all that's happened...................  
  
The moment was brief. Geo turned back to his technology and kept his gaze carefully trained there. "Alright. The moment of truth has come. Are you ready?"  
  
"Is it really worthy of all that drama?" Inquired an amused Eagle.  
  
"Skeptics shall be left behind. Now, do you know what this is?" Geo pointed to a couple dots on a radar screen, and although Eagle had taken a rather long hiatus from computers and the like, it was a habitual part of his being that was not quickly forgotten. Geo knew this and thus did not wait long for an answer. "Of course you do. It's a ship, an Autozam ship, judging by the make. And for the last couple of days, while you were out there fighting it out with those weird Sheki, it's just been sitting there."  
  
The relevance of this was quite clear to Eagle. "This isn't good. I'd hoped that they would have just designated our mission unsuccessful and gotten over it. The mechanics and technicians we sent back on our previous ship were supposed to present a diplomatic view of Cephiro, calling it as unusable land but also not a threat. But this latest action of theirs -"  
  
"We're thinking the same thing." Observed Geo in an air of wisdom, "Seeing that we're two of the greatest tactical minds ever, I'd put the money on our being right. Presenting Cephiro as diplomatic would not have been in character of some of the crew who wouldn't understand why we couldn't use all that land. They would use the three most important officer's disappearance as a way to spread the rumors. Lantis was not a good image for Cephiro either. Too many idiots challenged him, but those idiots had power. Eagle," He paused, and then sighed, a very long sigh, looking back to him to see his expression (which was rather blank), and then turned to the screen once more. "Worlds that Autozam saw as threats - they always start things out by sending a ship just to observe, decide on what the weaknesses or strengths would be by gaining an analysis of the way the ecology runs, what life forms are there, etc."  
  
There was only one word that could describe what Eagle thought of these new developments. When Geo stopped talking, as if waiting for his input, he voiced it, however unhelpful as it may be.  
  
"Damn."  
  
"I agree. But that's not all. Look at this."  
  
With a few final clicks and some random screen changes, Geo had located the next issue of interest for the two Autozam foreigners. It dwelt quite heavily with the concept of foreigners actually, as two other familiar foreign faces suddenly appeared on screen. Tatra and Tarta of Chizeta seemed as beautiful as ever, and as usual there was a fierceness to their exotic beauty. Eagle leaned forward with interest, wondering what all this was about.  
  
"This is a tape they sent to us about a day ago, and it's really what's worrying me."  
  
Then, without another moment's pause, the tape started up. Tarta was the first to speak. She mentioned some greetings and pleasantries, and Eagle wondered briefly why Geo was wasting his time showing this to him, when he could be doing something more constructive, such as investigating why all magic would pinpoint the Pillar to be in some form of distress or trouble.  
  
His doubts did not last for long, and he would've felt foolish and apologetic afterwards, were it not for the fact that he was too busy with his extreme concern.  
  
Tatra spoke next. "There is something more concerning at work, however. We, as rulers of Chizeta, would like to aid you in the war against Autozam. If Autozam has not yet alerted you to their decision, then they are waiting for a surprise strike, because all other sources indicate they are definitely preparing for full-scale battle. The only target they've hinted is the place where they 'lost' Eagle of Autozam."  
  
  


The black stallion could sense emotion. It could sense it, but it couldn't make sense of it, if that makes any sense. For its species the creature was one of the oldest and thus one of the wisest, and the onslaught of emotion that it had been experiencing for the last few days was beginning to take a toll on it. It couldn't make sense of it, yes, that much was true, but such vibrant emotion definitely stressed the ancient beast. There was so much love, and with that love there also came such pain. Nothing can escape from either of these two things, but the love can overshadow the pain. It is the natural balance. Were it a speaking creature, it would have communicated this as Lantis stroked it, for it could sense that Lantis was worried again.  
  
Lantis had been in a constant state of worry ever since the first disappearance, and it seemed that things weren't going to be slowing down anytime soon. It was worse because not only did he know Hikaru was in trouble, the only woman he loved deeply, but he didn't know where she was, or how to help her. There was also that little problem about the company he was depending on caring for her. His rivalry with Lafarga was more one- sided, with Lafarga taking to a definite dislike of him that Lantis didn't really understand, but it was so habitual for the both of them that Lantis deeply questioned Lafarga's capabilities as a bodyguard. His previous history with the former Pillar did not reassure Lantis - of course, Lantis had run away from the scenario, even after predicting the results, so Lantis knew he was at equal fault.  
  
So, all this worry tearing him down, he'd retreated for a small walk with his favorite stallion. He had no way of knowing, but he was indeed in the very same meadow where Presea and Clef had conversed before Clef had fallen to the sorceress Alcione back at the castle. Had he know, he would've thought the fates ironic, but he didn't, because there was no way for him to conceive of this information. Footsteps sounded behind Lantis; he turned, ready to face any potential attacker. Paranoia had indeed fed into those at the castle, if there was any doubt let.  
  
"Clef. Shouldn't you be resting?"  
  
The sorcerer shook his head, smiling warmly. "This is rest. This place has always been the most peaceful place in all Cephiro. I come here to clear my thoughts."  
  
Lantis was vaguely aware of Clef's habit of coming to the meadow, but he made no mental or physical remark upon that. "Clef, something has happened. My brother's sword was activated today."  
  
Clef was silent for a long moment. Lantis noted the Guru Clef would not like him in the eye, his gaze instead straying to the black sky, the long grass, or something invisible beyond Lantis. Lantis had seen him act so on prior occasions when Clef was worried, and because of his past experiences knew that Clef would say something very enlightening next, something that would shed light on the confusing circumstances.  
  
He had no idea.  
  
"I know." Clef said, after further deliberation. "I sent her to the enemy."  
  
  


All of Alcione's plots were finally coming to their full potential. No word in any language could have accurately depicted the frustration Alcione felt at the incompetence of those Sheki fools, but that had soon been followed by a massive relief. Her new master was not angered by her failure; rather, the entity had explained, it had simply been a sequence of events that had needed to take place.  
  
This had at first only proven to enhance Alcione's anger. What was she, some mere pawn in this game? But then her anger had been domesticated into humility. Yes, she was. There was no use getting all upset over truth. Being a pawn would eventually attain her what she truly desired - revenge on everyone and everything that had pained her so immensely. Working for her wise and cunning new master was the only secure path that guaranteed such a result, so for the meantime she would abide by this unorthodox way of accomplishing goals.  
  
Now, with Clef and his crew of fools distracted by the Sheki's leader Nori's cry of war, they would turn a blind eye while the Pillar fell. Alcione had been assured of this, and somehow, she wasn't sure quite how, the idea had gotten into her that she would only be satisfied when this happened. It would be soon.  
  
So, Alcione went to the Jova tribe and promptly warned them that the Sheki tribe was planning an attack. She also warned that if a fellow named Ascot came bearing tides of peace, it was to be immediately ignored and he should be killed on the spot. Deceit was his favorite mode of operation, she explained. All this she had been instructed to do, and she did it perfectly.  
  
The seeds of war had been planted in the once barren landscape of Cephiro.


End file.
